In a world where people had superpowers, Franck had become somewhat impervious to surprise and strangeness. But if someone had told him he would be called back from vacation because a continent had magically appeared, he would have punched the person saying such nonsense.
Too bad it was true. Because of this, he had to endure endless briefings, heaps of training on first contacts, alien germs, and other such nonsense.
He hoped it was just friendly little aliens, lost on the road of life. Okay, that's a silly reasoning. But seriously, who teleports their continent onto a planet without an invitation?
Frankly, it put him in a bad mood.
"Why are you staring at me like that, Russo? Do I have something on my face?" Franck growled.
"No, buddy, but judging by the look on your face, it seems like you're about to snap," Russo replied with a smile.
"Not everyone can be as relaxed as you," Franck retorted.
"It's just a first contact. Apart from a few elements, initial observations show they're quite technologically backward for an extraterrestrial civilization."
"Still, I firmly believe they are dangerous. Besides, I think too many people are enthusiastic about this first contact."
"Not everyone can be as gloomy as you."
At this jab, Franck merely shot a dirty look at Russo, who burst out laughing.
As the relaxed atmosphere faded, silence, interwoven with the sounds of naval maneuvers and the lapping of waves, quickly settled in. Franck and Russo had their eyes lost, contemplating the events and what would happen in the coming hours.
The mainland was in sight and, so far, no sign of the inhabitants or any welcoming committee. It seemed that discomfort was evident on both sides, but as they were the natives of this land, they had to make the first move.
Days later, Franck was rather disappointed. Aside from a string of small island nations, there wasn't much to see so far. From what he understood from the scientists, the locals seemed to speak Japanese. Their system of governance was feudal, with a daimyo at the head of the state.
In terms of technology and urban planning, it was a bit more exotic. It alternated across three different centuries, which in itself was quite beautiful, even if it was bewildering.
After days of talking with the locals, who were downright suspicious, they had realized that these islands had nothing to offer (for the moment) from a social, cultural, economic, or political perspective, considering the urgency of the situation.
Moreover, most didn't even have an army. Those who did had laughable numbers, technology, and equipment.
Given this observation, they left a small contingent in the most important countries. The bulk of the fleet headed towards a country called the Land of Water. Super original name.
The journey to the Land of Water had so far been uneventful. Aviation and satellites had detected nothing suspicious or unusual. This journey was becoming increasingly boring, Franck mentally complained.
However, this thought didn't last long. Unlike the island nations, the Land of Water was quite large. It was a cluster of islands forming an archipelago. What made it interesting was not the structure but rather the thick layer of fog covering a good majority of the country's islands.
As the ships ventured deeper, the fog grew thicker and thicker. Even seeing something on the ship was difficult. Needless to say, navigation had become really arduous.
If the soldiers on this ship weren't battle-hardened veterans, some might have soiled their pants, Franck thought. The fog, coupled with the cold and the silence of the environment, had everyone on edge.
Everyone except the guide they had managed to secure on one of the islands, whose name he couldn't remember. Since he didn't seem scared or panicked, it was a sign that this was quite normal.
While everyone was trying to do what they could, Russo approached Franck and whispered in his ear:
"I think sirens are going to emerge and drag us to the bottom of the sea."
"Tsss. Stop talking nonsense. This is surely due to..."
"Shh," Russo suddenly cut him off. "Don't you hear something strange?"
"You're really starting to get on my nerves, Russo. There's nothing..."
Boom! Franck hadn't even finished his sentence when something exploded from the water, half-capsizing the frigate they were on.
Despite his ringing ears, Franck could still hear the cries of his bewildered comrades, and especially the commander's scream, who was shouting as if he had seen the devil.
Staggering and gripping his weapon, he advanced with heavy steps, helping some comrades back on their feet.
Everything was topsy-turvy on the ship. It was a miracle no one had been thrown overboard.
Just as everything seemed to calm down, Franck heard the noise Russo had mentioned earlier. It was much clearer now.
Without wasting time, he took aim, imitated by other soldiers. All the ship's cannons were now on alert. Whatever had attacked them, this time it was going to get it hard.
"What the hell is that? What is that damn thing?" a soldier roared.
Even Franck didn't know how to react. He didn't even know what was paralyzing him. Was it fear? Fascination?
Russo wasn't wrong when he talked about sirens. But what he had failed to mention was that this siren was a gigantic purple serpent.
It took the ship's cannons firing relentlessly at the monstrosity for it to finally make sense, and Franck started shooting like a madman.
He had never shot like that, cursing as fast as his machine gun fired. Despite its apparent toughness, the monstrosity was incredibly agile in avoiding their projectiles.
Apparently having had enough of being shot at, it fled underwater. But no one was fooled: it was just a ruse.
Indeed, it was a ruse, and it wasn't aimed at them. It was for the ship sailing parallel to them.
At an unimaginable speed, the beast wrapped itself around the said ship. Its size was more massive than they had anticipated.
Without waiting any longer, it dragged the ship with it at full speed, blending into the fog, leaving the rest of the fleet completely shocked and paralyzed.