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Amidst the vast ocean, a war was brewing unlike any other. The water was filled with the wreckage of destroyed ships, and dead bodies floated ominously on the surface. Alex stared at the lifeless body of his comrade beside him—a gaping hole in his chest, eyes drained of all color. The chaotic scene before him made Alex wonder: Is there really no way to end this?
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, they were filled with a steely determination. He had made up his mind. Quickly, he moved, just as a bullet struck the spot where he had been standing. Taking cover, he waited for a few seconds before turning and firing at the source of the shot. A scream echoed through the battlefield.
Alex crouched low and stripped the armor from his fallen commander. The armor was mostly intact since the commander had been killed by a headshot. With swift movements, Alex jumped into the water, using the dead bodies as cover. Several times, he narrowly avoided being shot. He witnessed many falling—enemies and allies alike. Some he recognized; others were strangers. But nothing stopped him. His destination was the enemy's main ship: Armageddon.
After much struggle, he finally reached the ship. But getting there was only half the battle; infiltrating it was another challenge entirely. Circling the ship, he searched for a weakness in their defenses. Finally, he found a spot with fewer soldiers. He searched for a mostly intact uniform on a fallen enemy soldier, quickly changing into it. Then, he shouted for help.
The few men nearby heard his cries and threw down a rope. Alex climbed up, and as one soldier helped him aboard, Alex shot him in the heart. Before the others could react, Alex fired again, killing another soldier with a shot to the head. He used the first soldier's body as a shield to protect himself from the third soldier's gunfire, then shot him dead as well.
He quickly changed into the second soldier's uniform, which was still intact. In the process, he found a photo in the soldier's pocket—a picture of the soldier with a young woman and a little girl, maybe nine years old. Guilt tugged at him. He had just made a child fatherless and a wife a widow. They looked so happy in the picture. But Alex pushed the thoughts aside. He had a mission to complete.
He moved away from the area before anyone could discover the bodies. Pretending to be injured, he approached a lone soldier. Pressing his gun to the soldier's chest, Alex demanded, "Obey or die." The soldier hesitated but eventually nodded, pleading, "I have a family waiting for me, please don't kill me."
"Show me a map," Alex ordered. The soldier handed him a map of the ship. After verifying its authenticity, Alex sighed, "I'm sorry," and shot the soldier. Leaving the body behind, he followed the map to the engine room, facing numerous close calls along the way.
When he finally reached the engine room, a dozen soldiers guarded it. He knew he couldn't take them all on by himself. So, he tied together all the grenades he had—seven in total. Grabbing his communication device, he said, "I'm in Armageddon's engine room. I'm going to blow it up. Tell my family I love them and I'm sorry."
With those final words, Alex pulled the pin on one grenade and tossed it inside. Moments later, the entire ship erupted in a massive explosion, pieces of Armageddon scattering across the ocean.
A few months later, a funeral was held for Alex, hailed as a great hero who sacrificed his life to bring an early end to the war.
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