Part 2 · Chapter 21A Hecatomb

That’s how I’m describing this crazy scene, the history of the patriot ship - it was told so coldly at first, and the way this weird guy said the last words, the name of the Avenger, which I totally got, it all hit me hard.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the Captain, who was standing there with his hand stretched out to the ocean, watching the awesome wreckage with a fiery look in his eyes.

Maybe I’m never gonna know who he was, where he came from, or where he was headed, but I saw the guy move, separate from the scientist.

It wasn't just some random dislike that trapped Captain Nemo and his crew inside the Nautilus; it was a hatred - either totally messed up or incredibly powerful - that time couldn't weaken. Was this hatred still looking for revenge? I’d soon find out.

But the Nautilus was slowly rising to the surface, and the Avenger was disappearing from my sight. Soon, a slight rocking told me we were out in the open air. Just then, there was a loud boom. I looked at the Captain. He didn’t move. "Captain? I said.

He didn’t answer. I left him and went up to the platform. Conseil and the Canadian were already there.

"Where did that sound come from?" I asked.

"It was a gunshot," replied Ned Land.

I looked in the direction of the ship I’d already seen. It was getting closer to the Nautilus, and we could see it was steaming full blast. It was about six miles away. "What’s that ship, Ned?"

"By the way it’s rigged, and how high the lower masts are," said the Canadian, "I’d bet it’s a warship. Let it reach us; and if it has to, let it sink this cursed Nautilus."

"Friend Ned," replied Conseil, "what harm can it do to the Nautilus? Can it attack us underwater? Can its cannons blast us at the bottom of the sea?"

"Tell me, Ned," I said, "can you recognize what country it belongs to?"

The Canadian squinted, lowered his eyelids, and narrowed his eyes, and for a few moments gave the ship a really intense look.

"No, sir," he replied, "I can’t tell what nation it belongs to, because it’s not showing any flags. But I can tell you it’s a warship, because a long flag is fluttering from its main mast."

For a quarter of an hour, we watched the ship steaming toward us. I couldn’t believe it could even see the Nautilus from that distance; let alone know what this submarine thing was. Soon, the Canadian told me it was a huge, armored, two-decker ram.

Thick black smoke was pouring from its two funnels. Its sails were tightly furled to the yards. It wasn’t flying a flag from its rear mast. The distance made it impossible to see the colors of its flag, which looked like a thin ribbon. It was moving fast.

If Captain Nemo let it get close, there was a chance we could be saved.

"Sir," said Ned Land, "if that ship passes within a mile of us, I’m jumping into the sea, and I’d advise you to do the same."

I didn’t reply to the Canadian’s suggestion, but kept watching the ship. Whether it was English, French, American, or Russian, it would definitely take us in if we could just reach it.

Suddenly, a puff of white smoke burst from the front of the ship; a few seconds later, the water, stirred up by a heavy object falling, splashed the stern of the Nautilus, and then a loud explosion shook my ears.

"What! They’re firing at us!" I exclaimed.

"So it seems, sir," said Ned, "they’ve recognized the unicorn, and they’re firing at us."

"But," I exclaimed, "surely they can see that there are people on board?"

"It’s maybe because of that," replied Ned Land, looking at me.

A wave of understanding hit me. They totally knew now - they believed the stories about the supposed monster. No doubt, when the Canadian ship rammed the Abraham Lincoln, Commander Farragut realized the "narwhal" was a submarine, way more dangerous than some mythical sea creature.

Yeah, that had to be it. Now, every ocean was being searched for this weapon of destruction. Seriously scary! If, like we thought, Captain Nemo was using the Nautilus for revenge... On the night we were trapped in that cell, deep in the Indian Ocean, hadn't he attacked a ship?

The guy buried in the coral graveyard, hadn’t he been a victim of the Nautilus's impact? Yeah, I'm telling you, it had to be true.

Part of the mystery surrounding Captain Nemo had been revealed; and even if they didn’t know who he was, at least the countries hunting him weren't chasing a made-up creature anymore - they were going after a man who’s sworn to destroy them.

Everything from his frightening past flashed before my eyes. Instead of friendly faces on the approaching ship, we could only expect ruthless enemies. But then, a shot whizzed past us. Some splashed into the sea and disappeared. But none hit the Nautilus.

"The other ship was only about three miles away. Despite the intense cannon fire, Captain Nemo didn’t show up on the platform. But if one of those pointy projectiles had hit the Nautilus's shell, it would have been a disaster. The Canadian said, "Sir, we gotta find a way out of this mess.

"Let's signal them. Maybe they’ll understand we’re not bad guys."

Ned Land grabbed his handkerchief to wave it in the air, but before he could even show it, an iron fist knocked him down. He fell hard onto the deck, even with his strength.

"Idiot!" the Captain yelled. "Do you want to be impaled by the Nautilus's spur before it’s launched at that ship?"

Captain Nemo was terrifying to hear, even more terrifying to see. His face was deathly pale, with a visible tremor. For a moment, his heart probably stopped beating. His pupils were tiny. He didn't speak, he roared, grabbing and shaking the Canadian's shoulders.

Then, letting him go and turning to the warship still blasting away, he shouted with incredible force, "Hey, ship from a cursed nation! You know who I am! I don’t want you to recognize me by your colors! Look! And I’ll show you mine!"

And on the front of the platform, Captain Nemo unfurled a black flag, just like the one he’s flown at the South Pole. Just then, a shot grazed the Nautilus's shell without breaking through, bouncing off and disappearing into the sea.

He shrugged and said to me, "Go down, you and your crew, go down!"

"Sir," I cried, "are you going to attack that ship?" "Sir, I’m going to sink it." "You won’t do that?"

"I will do it," he replied coldly.

"And I advise you not to judge me, sir. Fate has shown you things you shouldn’t have seen. The attack has begun; go down." "What is that ship?"

"You don’t know? Fine. So much the better! Its nationality to you, at least, will be a secret. Go down!"

We had no choice but to obey. About fifteen sailors surrounded the Captain, glaring at the approaching ship with pure hatred. You could feel the same desire for vengeance burning in every soul. I went down as another projectile slammed into the Nautilus, and I heard the Captain exclaim:

"Strike, crazy ship! Pour your useless shots on me! And then, you won’t escape the Nautilus's spur! But you won’t perish here! I won’t let your ruins mix with those of the Avenger!"

I made it to my room. The Captain and his second were still on the platform. The propeller started spinning, and the Nautilus, moving super fast, quickly got out of range of the ship’s cannons. But the chase was still on, and Captain Nemo just kept his distance.

Around four in the afternoon, I couldn’t stand the waiting any longer, so I headed to the main staircase. The panel was open, and I stepped out onto the platform. The Captain was still pacing back and forth, looking really stressed.

He was staring at the ship, which was about five or six miles off to the side.

He was circling it like a caged animal, drawing it further east, letting them follow. But he didn’t attack. Maybe he was still thinking about it? I wanted to try and talk him out of it one last time. But I’m barely getting a word out when Captain Nemo shut me down, saying:

"I am the law, and I am the judge! I am the oppressed, and there’s the oppressor! Through him, I’ve lost everything I loved, cherished, and respected - my country, my wife, my kids, my parents. I watched them all die! Everything I hate is right there! Don’t say another word!"

I took one last look at the warship, which was building up steam, and went to find Ned and Conseil.

"Let’s get out of here!" I shouted.

"Sounds good," said Ned. " What is this thing?"

"I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s going down before tonight. Either way, it’s better to go down with it than get dragged into some revenge we can’t even understand."

"That’s what I’m thinking," said Ned Land, cool as could be. "Let’s wait for dark."

Night fell. It was totally silent on board. The compass showed that the Nautilus hadn’t changed direction. It was on the surface, rocking gently.

My friends and I decided to make a run for it when the ship got close enough to hear or see us; the moon was going to be full in a couple of days, and it was shining really bright. If we couldn't stop what was about to happen, at least we’d do everything we could in the situation.

Several times, I thought the Nautilus was getting ready to attack, but Captain Nemo just let his enemy get closer, then sped away again.

Part of the night passed without anything happening. We were waiting for our chance. We barely spoke, because we were so shaken up. Ned Land wanted to jump into the ocean, but I made him wait.

I figured the Nautilus would hit the ship below the waterline, and then it would be possible - and easy - to escape.

At three in the morning, feeling really uneasy, I went back up to the platform. Captain Nemo hadn’t left. He was standing at the front near his flag, which a light breeze was waving above his head. He didn’t take his eyes off the ship.

His gaze was so intense, it seemed to pull the ship forward more surely than if he’s been towing it. The moon was high in the sky. Jupiter was rising in the east. It was a peaceful scene, with the sky and ocean so calm, the sea reflecting the stars like a mirror.

As I thought about the deep peace of the elements, compared to all the turmoil brewing inside the Nautilus, I got chills.

The ship was within two miles of us. It was getting closer to that glowing light that showed where the Nautilus was. I could see its green and red lights, and its white lantern hanging from the big mast.

I could feel a faint vibration through the rigging, showing that the furnaces were burning as hot as they could. Clouds of sparks and red ash shot out of the smokestacks, shining in the air like stars.

I stayed like that until six in the morning, and Captain Nemo didnn't even notice me. The ship was about a mile and a half away, and with the first hint of daylight, the firing started up again. It wouldn’t be long before the Nautilus attacked, and my companions and I would leave this guy for good.

I was heading down to remind them when the second one came up on the platform, followed by a bunch of sailors. Captain Nemo either didn't see them or pretended not to. They did a few things that were basically a signal to start fighting. They were super simple.

They lowered the metal railing around the platform, and they slid the lantern and pilot cages inside the shell until they were flush with the deck. The long, smooth surface of the steel ship no longer had any weak spots to slow it down. I went back to the main room.

The Nautilus was still floating; streaks of light were coming through the water. With the waves, the windows glowed with the red light of the rising sun, and this awful day of June second had finally arrived.

At five o’clock, the log showed that the Nautilus was slowing down, and I figured it was letting them get closer. Plus, I could hear the reports more clearly, and the projectiles, pushing through the water, fizzled out with a weird hissing sound.

"Guys," I said, "the time is now. One last handshake, and may God protect us!"

Ned Land was determined, Conseil was cool as always, and I was so freaked out that I didn't know what to do with myself. We all went into the library, but the moment I pushed open the door to the main staircase, I heard the top panel slam shut. The Canadian bolted for the stairs, but I stopped him.

A familiar hissing sound told me that water was rushing into the tanks, and in just a few minutes, the Nautilus was several yards below the surface. I knew what he was doing. It was too late to do anything.

The Nautilus didn't want to attack the super-tough armor, but below the waterline, where the metal didn’t protect it.

We were trapped again, forced to watch this crazy drama unfold. We barely had time to think; we took cover in my room and just looked at each other without saying anything. A deep sense of shock washed over me: my mind felt frozen.

I was in that awful state of waiting for something terrible to happen. I waited, I listened - every sense was focused on hearing! The Nautilus sped up. It was getting ready to charge. The whole ship shook. Suddenly, I screamed. I felt the impact, but it wasn’t that bad.

I felt the piercing power of the steel spike. I heard rattling and scraping. But the Nautilus, pushed along by its engine, went right through the ship like a needle through fabric!

I couldn't take it anymore. I was going crazy, so I bolted from my room into the main room. Captain Nemo was there, silent, gloomy, and unyielding; he was staring out the window.

A huge mass cast a shadow on the water, and to make sure it felt every bit of the pain, the Nautilus was sinking into the abyss with it. Ten yards from me, I saw the open shell, where the water was rushing in with the sound of thunder, then the double row of guns and the netting.

The bridge was covered in dark, swirling shadows.

The water was rising fast. People were scrambling up the ropes, clinging to the masts, fighting to stay above the waves. It looked like a giant pile of people, totally swallowed by the ocean. I was frozen, like, completely stiff with fear, my hair standing straight up.

My eyes were wide, I couldn't breathe, I couldn’t even yell. I was just watching! I couldn't look away - it was like I was glued to the window.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion! The force blew up the decks, like the gunpowder rooms had caught fire. Then, the ship went down even faster.

First, the top of the mast with people still on it appeared, then the long poles bending under the weight of the men, and finally, the very top of the main mast. Then, everything disappeared under the water - the whole crew, pulled down by the powerful swirl.

I turned to Captain Nemo. That intense, angry guy, like a super-serious angel of hate, was still staring. When it was all over, he went back to his room, opened the door, and walked in. I kept watching him.

On the wall, under his pictures of heroes, I saw a portrait of a young woman and two little kids. Captain Nemo looked at them for a bit, stretched his arms out towards them, and then dropped to his knees, sobbing really hard.