ALL NOVEL There
Orion's small boat speeds over the water.
Howl and Cole have stopped their bickering, and stare wide eyed as they get farther out into ocean.
The boat goes past huge wrecks and monoliths and small islands.
"Have you been in all of those? And those?" Cole asks, pointing to the arks and small islands.
"Yeah," Orion says over the bouncing of the water. "They are all stripped. Howl has made all the money he could off all of this."
"He ain't wrong," Howl says.
After some time, Orion points.
Across the way, a battered dukling or junk boat, once famous in Hong Kong harbor, sways.
It seems to be anchored or stuck ashore in a rising sand bed off.
Cole stands and looks.
His eyes scan across it, and information starts to analyze everything across it.
"We need to go look at it," Cole says sternly.
"Why?!" Howl says. "The hell is your problem?! There ain't anything over there, mate!"
Cole looks at Orion and blinks his eyes.
Suddenly, a message flashes across Orion's display.
I CAN ANALYZE NOW. THERE WAS FALLEN THERE. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANALYZE NOW TOO.
Orion does not want to admit it, but his eyes are analyzing everything now too.
They are progressing. Together.
Orion somehow sends a message back to Cole. Faster and almost instant.
I DON'T LIKE THIS. IT WAS A MENU. NOW IT IS TAKING OVER.
Cole looks back at him.
"Use it," he says out loud.
"What are you guys talking about?!" Howl yells.
"Nothing," Orion responds. "We'll look at that ship."
Orion turns the motorboat towards the creaking junk boat.
As the motorboat slowly approaches, Cole puts his hand up.
The small island of sand is indeed what the ship is stuck in, as Cole steps out of the motorboat into the soft sand and shallow water.
Orion stops the boat from getting stuck, and grabs his largest rifle.
"Stay here, Howl."
"Of course I'm going to stay here! You are the fools trying to be heroes!"
Orion and Cole slowly approach.
KNOWLEDGE and SURVIVAL start to add more points.
Cole pulls his pistol, examining the ship.
"Who comes?!" A voice yells.
Human.
"A friend," Cole yells back.
"Doubtful," the voice responds.
"There was fallen here," Orion speaks up.
"There was," the voice calls back.
Suddenly, a strange looking man whose appearance is much like a modern pirate steps out. Eye patches and dreadlocks and all the look, with a strange and dirty self made beanie on his head.
All he is missing is a parrot.
"Oh. You. Hi Orion," the pirate says.
"Homestead," Orion says, lowering his gun, disappointed.
"Captain Homestead to you!" the strange man yells back.
"Captain of nothing," Orion says back. "Let's go, Cole."
"Is that Cole? You let him off the island, did ya?" Homestead yells down to them.
"Do I know you?" Cole asks, annoyed.
"Homestead comes to our port for supplies. And rips everyone off," Orion interrupts. "I thought he was dead. We'd had a few months without him."
"You'll never get rid of me!" Homestead yells. "It has been over a year, thank you!"
Howl now runs upon the scene.
"You cheating bastard. You owe me money!" Howl yells, red faced.
"Come up here and get it, you coward!" Homestead says.
"This is a waste of time," Orion says, pushing Howl back. "I should've recognized the ship."
"There was fallen here," Cole says. "Where are they?"
Homestead chuckles and points to the other side of the ship.
"Why don't you take a gander?"
Cole and Orion slowly make their way towards the other side of the ship.
There, in the shallow water, is numerous bodies of fallen.
Limbs and heads and the such, dead in the water and sand.
"How?" Orion asks.
"My crew and I. I am a crew of one now," Homestead says, with some humanity in his voice. "This was after they attacked your port. I was sorry to hear it."
"You could've helped," Howl says, walking upon the scene, then covering his mouth.
"I am not welcome on your island," Captain Homestead says.
"How did you know they attacked?" Cole asks.
"They boasted of it, threatening me of the same. Funny enough, none of them were there. There was only one survivor. They admitted it. I saw the smoke too," Homestead admits.
Orion nods. One did indeed get away.
"Either way. I am not welcome at your port," Homestead says again, passive aggressively. He wants an invitation back.
"We need everyone if we are going to survive," Orion says, walking away from the bodies. "Even you are welcome."
Homestead smiles, and begins to change his tune.
"Aye, you are right. The fallen are attacking everyone and everything. They are up to something, Orion," Homestead agrees. "Where you off to?"
"That aircraft carrier," Orion says, as he continues to walk away.
"They are all over that thing!" Homestead balks.
"That's why we are going there," Cole says.
Homestead shakes his head. "Wait. Wait a minute."
He disappears. The three wait.
The modern pirate then tosses a huge, futuristic rifle down to the sand, with a small bag.
It is larger than Orion's current one, and even more lethal. A hand practically wraps into to it, underneath the main chamber. An attachment then can connect to the back of a bicep.
Cole walks up to the rifle and holds it and nods a thank you.
"You'll need it more than me. Perhaps I'll come back to the island," Homestead says.
"You ain't coming back!" Howl snarls.
"Look at the bag!" Homestead spits.
Howl goes and looks in the bag. Some currency and treasures.
"That should settle our score," Homestead nods. "Now leave. I want no more of you. You'll know if I come to the island. We all might have to come together, again."
With that, Captain Homestead disappears again.
Howl looks at the coins in his hand and says nothing.
Cole looks at the rifle and nods at Orion.
"We could do some damage with this thing," Cole says.
"Good. Let's get moving. The sun is going to kill us."
The three get into the boat, push it off, and take off again.
They are in the open water again, when after not much time at all, they see a super small island.
Almost perfect. Some sand and a small jungle in a perfect circle. Cole's eyes widen seeing it.
"Orion. Go there," Cole pleads.
"What?" Orion says, annoyed that they just took off again.
"He already wants a break! This mate," Howl says.
"Shut up. Orion. That island. Please," Cole says, looking at him. "Look, the last stop was good too."
"Nothing is there," Orion warns. "I drive by it all the time."
"Have you ever looked?" Cole asks.
Orion shakes his head.
"Please. Do it," Cole says, as his eyes narrow.
Orion shrugs, and turns the boat towards the island.