The Arabian Sea was glassy calm, the stars reflected on its surface like scattered diamonds. Lieutenant Sara Chen of the US Navy guided her destroyer through the night, the sonar silent, the radar clear. Then the singing began.
It was faint at first, a melody carried on the wind, beautiful and sad. Sara ordered all hands to report. No one was singing. The sound seemed to come from the water itself.
“It’s a siren,” her ensign joked.
Sara didn’t laugh. The song was growing louder, pulling at her. She felt an overwhelming urge to steer the ship toward the source.
“All hands, brace fo