Industrial wipers struggled uselessly to clear the rain off the Armorlite windows of the bridge. The storm raged unabated outside, lightning flashing as waves crashed over the ship, covering the deck with foamy brine. And writhing about in the maelstrom was a dark shape barely visible through the heavy downpour, a sinuous length of muscles and scales thicker than a tree. Howling in fury, the beast coiled about madly, crushing crew members, passengers, and splintering a lifeboat as if it was made of balsa wood, not duraplas. The gunfire never stopped for a moment.