Outside the command center’s glass windows, the darkness of space shifted, followed by rapid streaks of multicolored lights. Secured by a complex seatbelt contraption, Captain McKinley held tight as the Peregrine hurtled through the light-speed tunnel, emerging to reveal an unexpected setting: Ancient Greece.

STRAIT OF MESSINA. Bright daylight poured over a serene stretch of water.

“MAurI&S.E. (Multifunctional Artificial Intelligence & Search Engine), brief me on our location,” Captain McKinley commanded.

“We are in the Strait of Messina—a narrow body of water connecting the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, bordered by the eastern coast of Sicily and the western coast of mainland Italy,” MAurI&S.E. reported.

“In Greek mythology, monsters Scylla and Charybdis were said to guard opposite sides of this strait. Locate Scylla for me. She’s the easier target; we’ll tackle her first,” Captain McKinley directed.

One side of the strait revealed a rocky island with a steep, imposing summit. Coiling around the island’s façade was Scylla, a monstrous sea creature with six serpentine heads reaching up the cliffside. Beneath the water, her octopus-like tentacles slithered and sprawled ominously. Scylla’s heads roared in unison, spotting the distant Peregrine.

Captain McKinley watched Scylla from the big screen. “MAurI&S.E., prepare the spaceship’s laser blasters. We’ll strike her heads all at once.”

“Captain, deploying laser blasts will drain Peregrine’s power, reducing our energy to 60%,” MAurI&S.E. cautioned.

“60% is still workable. Prepare the blasters,” Captain McKinley replied with confidence.

Panels on Peregrine’s sides opened, extending six long blasters.

Maintaining a safe distance, Captain McKinley typed on the holographic cyan keyboard, bringing up a projected sphere around Scylla’s form in a glowing outline against the navy background. He marked each of her heads, while the screen displayed square target markers, tracking Scylla’s movements to predict her evasive tactics.

Captain gripped the lever as energy bars, shown on panels to either side, slowly filled. When they reached 100%, MAurI&S.E. signaled, “Ready for strike in three… two… one…”

With a resolute expression, Captain McKinley pushed the lever. Streams of cyan energy shot from Peregrine’s six blasters, aimed precisely at Scylla’s heads. Each beam anticipated her evasions, slicing through the serpent necks one by one. Scylla shrieked, her heads falling lifelessly to the shore as blood poured onto the sand. The heavy heads sank into the water, entangling with her tentacles as seafoam and bubbles erupted across the waves.

On the screen, MISSION SUCCESS flashed.

“Congratulations, Captain. You defeated Scylla efficiently, conserving resources while achieving our objective,” MAurI&S.E. summarized.

Captain McKinley gave a brief nod. “This isn’t over yet, MAurI&S.E. We still have another monster on the other side of the strait.”

On the opposite side of the Strait of Messina, a colossal whirlpool, Charybdis, faced Captain McKinley and his hovering spaceship, Peregrine.

“MAurI&S.E., prepare the drone droids,” Captain McKinley commanded from the helm.

“The drone droids are ready for dispatch,” MAurI&S.E. confirmed.

“We’ll channel the remaining power of Peregrine to send an electrical surge directly into Charybdis’s core,” Captain McKinley instructed.

“Captain, this action will completely drain our power,” MAurI&S.E. cautioned. “My protocol requires me to prioritize the safety of the ship and, above all, protect the crew — especially you, sir.”

“I knew you’d say that.” Captain McKinley pressed the glowing red “MANUAL MODE” button on his console, overriding the “AUTO MODE” settings. The screen displayed “MANUAL MODE,” and he released the drone droids toward Charybdis. They flew into formation over the whirlpool as it spiraled violently below. “Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.”

Just as Captain McKinley prepared to pull the lever to trigger the electric current, a familiar voice reached him, transcending space and time.

“Captain, Benjamin, please, don’t do this.” Ruana’s voice, soft yet urgent, echoed in his mind. “ROBO3000 and CleanBot informed me of your plan. This isn’t the only way.”

“I’m sorry, Ruana, but it’s the only choice we have.” Captain McKinley’s response carried the weight of his determination. “The Greek monsters won’t stay in their realms for long. You saw what happened to Allison — Medusa turned the huntsmen into statues. And James showed me in one of his recordings how the Sphinx devoured workers through her blackhole mouth. If I don’t stop Charybdis now, she’ll break into our world, and countless innocent lives will be at risk.”

“You don’t need to sacrifice yourself, Benjamin,” Ruana urged. “We can find another way. Come back to the crew — your family.”

Captain McKinley’s face softened. “I wish I could, Ruana, but I can’t. If I don’t survive this… if Charybdis does what she’s meant to do, please, take the crew inland. Warn as many as you can to stay away from the shore. The Seventh Wave is coming. Pray for us all. Pray for a miracle.”

“No! You don’t have to do this alone!” Ruana pleaded, desperation cracking her voice. “We could escape inland together.”

“This is my duty as commander of Peregrine. I have to protect people however I can,” he replied resolutely.

“I love you, Captain… Benjamin Pangilinan. Please come back to us.” Ruana’s voice was barely a whisper, but it reached him, a final, heartfelt plea. “I don’t know how I’d go on without you.”

“You… love me?” A smile softened Benjamin’s face. “I always planned to focus on school, on work. But then you came along. I’ve never been good with romance. I’m a nerd; my brain’s all I have. Yet, every day with you, I found myself feeling… more. Stronger. I’m such a coward; I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. Romance isn’t my strong suit.”

He took a deep breath, his voice more tender now. “You’re beautiful to me, Ruana. Simple, modest, kind. You value family, community, and you’ve cared for us all. You’re more than just support; you’re a partner. You’ve given me strength when I needed it most. I’ll hold onto our love in this life, in this world. And if I must, even in death, for all eternity. This sacrifice… I have no regrets. I am happy to do it, for you.”

“Nooooo!” Ruana’s voice broke, echoing in his mind.

With a determined push, Captain McKinley threw the lever. Electricity surged through the drone network, down into Charybdis’s spiraling waters. The monstrous whirlpool’s eye opened, revealing the colossal, lamprey-like mouth beneath, rows upon rows of sharp, spiraling teeth.

A final, monstrous scream escaped from Charybdis as it collapsed, dissipating into calm waters. Peregrine shut down with a burst of cyan light, plummeting into the strait below. In the commander’s seat, Captain McKinley lay unconscious, his helmet shattered, blood streaking down his right cheek. His space armor glowed faintly with a cyan hue as the Star of Vis — the marquis meteorite shard — emerged from his body, radiating a blue-white light.

Gray smoke filled the command center as spectral forces converged. Typhon’s revenant form materialized, his eyes glowing an eerie green as metal rings coalesced around the Star, forming a magical astrolabe. The powerful artifact now surrendered itself to its new master, Typhon, marked by a glowing magic circle in his spectral hands.

“At last!” Typhon’s spirit declared before vanishing in a powerful swirl of smoke and force.

Captain McKinley lay still in the command center, fallen, the Star of Vis gone from his grasp.

In the brightly lit, cyan-hued basement, pipes and wall fans were scattered along the walls. A large hole gaped above, with Uncle Ronald, the spaceship’s mechanic, lying below amidst shattered ceiling parts and dust from the recent explosion. The blast had been caused by the malfunctioning nuclear reactor. Ronald remained unconscious for a few minutes, but soon his eyes flickered open, and he quickly stood up.

“Where am I?” He looked around, taking in the pipes and fans. “I think I recognize this place from the manuals I absorbed so quickly… This is the Peregrine’s basement.”

“This is also where Bumblebee, the ball robot, was discovered,” he murmured, recalling everything. “So, the reactor explosion must’ve brought me here.”

He checked himself over. “No serious injuries… How is that possible?”

Ronald gazed ahead, pondering his next move. “How do I get out of here?”

Taking a few tentative steps, he leaned against the walls lined with faintly glowing pipes. Navigating the narrow, winding corridors, he retraced his steps from memory until he found a ladder.

“That’s it! I knew I was on the right track.” He approached the ladder with a sense of relief and climbed up, moving the manhole cover aside as he emerged on the ground floor. Carefully replacing the cover to avoid making noise, he surveyed the eerily empty rooms of the Peregrine.

“Where did everyone go?” Ronald wondered aloud. “How long have I been out?”

He checked the attendance log and found he’d only been absent for a day. “So, I was knocked out overnight…”

“I’d better check the second floor,” he resolved, hoping to find someone.

He rode the elevator up, and as he stepped onto the second floor, he was met with a startling sight.

“What happened here?” Ronald gasped, noticing the partially submerged glass walls gleaming with a clear, wet sheen. “Did we end up at sea?”

As he ventured further, a small crack in one of the glass panels gave way, allowing seawater to rush in. More panels followed, breaking one by one, flooding the floor. Water quickly reached his knees, forcing Ronald to run as fast as he could.

With each step, his legs began to emit a faint, cyan glow, almost as if nuclear energy from the reactor had left its mark. “I… I can stand on water?”

Ronald’s boots glowed with every step he took across the water’s surface. From his pockets, his two balisongs—Philippine butterfly knives—began to hum, emitting a cyan light. Ronald took them out, marveling at the newfound glow in his hands.

“What is this?”

Spotting a sparking, faulty wire slithering toward him, he got an idea. Ronald flung the two balisongs like boomerangs toward the wire. The knives moved in perfect sync, repelling and attracting each other in a coordinated dance until they severed the wire. The wire’s last spark shot toward him, but he instinctively crossed his cyan-glowing arms, deflecting the bolt multiple times.

“How is this even possible?” he whispered. “Did the reactor blast give me powers?”

Turning to the end of the flooded corridor, Ronald felt a surge of energy well up within him. Rings of cyan energy appeared in his eyes, resembling the yin-yang symbol. Channeling this power, he clasped his hands in a concentrated stance, kneeling on the water with one knee. From his joined wrists, a cyan beam of atomic energy blasted forth, breaking down the door.

Standing up, buoyant on the water’s surface, he marveled, “I really do have powers now.”

Climbing to the third floor, Ronald noticed the dim lighting. Daylight filtered through shattered glass walls, illuminating rain-soaked compartments and a broken ceiling.

“I remember the manuals mentioned emergency lights covering the basement and lower floors. This must mean… the Peregrine’s main power is out, and the generator isn’t enough to keep us airborne. Something serious must’ve happened. I need to find out if anyone’s still here.”

Making his way to the command center, Ronald found his nephew, Captain McKinley, slumped unconscious in the commander’s seat.

“Benjamin? Wake up, it’s me, Tito.” He shook him gently, but there was no response. “This is bad…”

Suddenly, an idea lit up in his mind. He hurried to the power room on the fourth floor, facing the Peregrine’s core power source.

“I can do this,” he whispered, bracing himself.

With cyan rings glowing in his eyes once more, he took a ready stance, one leg forward, his body turned slightly sideways. Gathering energy in his clasped hands, Ronald unleashed a powerful blast of atomic energy at the core. The reactor flared to life, and the Peregrine slowly powered up, room by room, engine by engine.

Returning to the cockpit, Ronald took the pilot’s seat while McKinley remained in the passenger’s seat. With a steady hand, he activated the engines. The Peregrine lifted from the streaming waters, ascended into the sky, and, with a burst of interdimensional light speed, disappeared into the heavens.