"I'm sorry, did you say Ice People?" Pete asked. "Ice People? You have got to be kidding me." I glanced at Christine who just gave me a puzzled look in return.

"I'm not lying!" Captain Jackson exclaimed. He straightened up from his slouched position and suddenly, he didn't look like the timid man we had first met. He looked like the Captain of the HMS Nelson. "I know what I saw...I know what I fought."

"Okay, let's just say we believe you-" Pete started but I cut him off, moving to stand in front of him.

"What my colleague is trying to say," I said, glaring a Pete, "Is that we'll need some evidence first before we can figure out the best way to help you." The Captain nodded,  again deflated.

"Yes, of course," he said, his voice going flat. "Please, follow me." I sighed with relief.

"Thank you, Captain," I said. "Please, lead on." Captain Jackson lead us from the bridge and down into the main body of the Nelson. As we slipped down the narrow corridors, the lights flickered and the ship creaked and groaned like an injured animal. We went past thirty inch steel doors that had been ripped off their hinges and crippled like they were made of paper.

"An ice-burg did that?" Christine whispered to me, her eyes wide as she gestured to the lump of metal. I shook my head. It couldn't have done; there was no damage to the hull.

Captain Jackson turned his head to look at us. "No ice-burg did that, Miss...?" he said.

"Christine Morgan," she replied.

"Mathew Mayhew. And this is Pete Brown," I introduced myself and Pete. The Captain nodded and then was silent.

We travelled down deeper into the belly of the Nelson and Captain Jackson opened a hatch, climbing down the ladder into the brig. I waited for Christine and Pete to clamber down first before I went after them. As soon as my feet landed on cold metal, the lights snapped off and we were plunged into darkness.

"Captain Jackson?" I called out. He didn't answer. My heart was hammering and the blood roared in my ears. I could hear my harsh breathing and the sound of the waves under the boat, whispering to the Nelson and lulling the groaning metal into a deep sleep. "Christine? Pete?"

"Over here, Matt." I heard Christine about ten metres in front of me. The lights flickered back on again and I spotted them ahead of me. As I approached, I could finally see what they were all staring at.

The crew, or what was left of it, were huddled together on the floor. Many were injured and were wrapped in bandages. Those who were not, were shuffling about like zombies, passing out food and water rations as well as performing first aid. The very air in the room was thick and heavy with fear and nervousness; everyone was swimming in it.

"This was the best we could do," the Captain murmured. "Our ship doctor was taken, and so basic First Aid training is all we have to rely on."

"Oh my God," I whispered. "How-How did this happen?" Captain Jackson looked up at me.

"It's like I said, Mr Mayhew," he muttered. "The Ice People boarded the ship. We had no warning; they came in the dead of night. They-they had swords made from ice that cut through everything...people, metal, guns...just everything. We tried to fight them but they had the strength of ten men..."

He hesitated, taking a shaky breath. Bringing a handkerchief from his pocket, he dabbed his forehead which was glistening with sweat. His piercing blue eyes scanned the room frantically, as if searching for something.

"I've never seen anything like it," he whispered. "They were just...unstoppable."

"And the rest of the crew?" Christine asked, keeping her voice low. "You said they took them. Do you know where?" The Captain shook his head.

"No," he said. "They were just pulling them overboard and taking them to the mainland. But we could hear the screaming..."

I glanced back at all the crew members. They had spent so much of their lives training for war at sea, training to be resourceful, tough and resilient. The brave men and women that served the Navy were proud. But when I looked at the sailors in front of me, I was bitterly reminded that they were human just like the rest of us. Fear was something they experienced too.

"Captain, do you mind if I just take a moment to talk with my team?" I asked. "We'll be back in just a second." I grabbed Pete and Christine and dragged them to the bottom of the ladder.

"What do you think?" I muttered to Christine, watching the crew members of the Nelson carefully as they moved around. She looked slightly overwhelmed but swallowed hard, her face determined.

"I'll have to do a full psychiatric evaluation," she said. "But as of now, I-I can see that none of them are lying. I mean, what could cause damage like this on a Royal Navy ship?"

"Do you think they were attacked by another country?" I asked Pete. "Perhaps they've developed some sort of new technology that has made them hallucinate?" Pete resolutely shook his head.

"I don't think so," he replied. "Think about it, the hull is completely intact but the rest of the ship is wrecked. No weapon could do that. But as for some sort of new technology..." He shook his head. "No, it isn't possible, surely?"

"So you believe them?" Christine and Pete both looked at each other, a silent exchange passing between them.

"Well, until we have a more logical explanation, I think we have to believe them," Christine said. I nodded.

"Good," I said. "So I'm not the only one."

I took a deep breath, clearing my head before I decided what to do. My background was in survival and tactics which is why I was the team leader. In situations like these, I was generally the level headed one. But this was new to me.

"Right," I said, facing them both. "Christine, do your evaluations and find out everything you can about these 'Ice People'." She nodded.

"On it." She hurried away to the nearest sailor as I turned to Pete.

"Pete, go down to the engine room and check anything and everything you can think of," I ordered. "I want a full report when you're done."

I walked with Pete to Captain Jackson and asked him to gather the engineers he had left to take Pete to the engine room. The Captain agreed reluctantly, calling over his remaining engineers and explaining what he wanted them to do. They huddled together nervously but tightened their jaws, showing their courage. I watched them climb the ladder with Pete and disappear to the engine room.

Mission log: December 14th 2056 0745 hours: After boarding the Nelson, the team met with the Captain and listened to his story. According to Captain Jackson, the Nelson was attacked by 'Ice People' who took  half of the crew prisoner. Team are currently investigating other causes but are remaining open-minded.

"Matt!" Christine called. I slipped my recorder back into my pocket and turned to face her. She was crouching on the floor by a young man with blonde hair and a bandage wrapped round his upper leg, her recorder and note book out.

"What's up?" I asked.

"You need to hear this," she said. I trudged across the metal and sat next to her.

"Hi, my name is Matt," I said by way of introducing myself. I held out my hand and the boy shakily took it.

"Midshipman Goodman," he replied. "Charlie Goodman."

"Charlie was the first person to see the Ice People," Christine told me. She nodded to him. "Go on, tell him what you told me." The boy glanced up at us then back down again, his golden hair falling into his eyes and his hands clasping tightly together.

"I...erm...I was on the top deck," he stammered, his eyes unable to focus. "I was just doing my rounds and I looked out to the mainland and..." He trailed off, his knuckles turning white as he squeezed his hands together.

"And what?" I pressed.

"It's all right," Christine added. "You can trust us, we want to help you." Charlie swallowed hard.

"They were running across the water at something like sixty miles per hour," he whispered. "Their faces and bodies were completely made of blue ice; I could see right through their heads. I ran to the Captain and told him what I saw. But before we could do anything, they attacked us. I-I was cut on the leg by one..." 

"Thank you, Charlie," Christine said. She grabbed my arm before I could ask more questions and yanked me to my feet.

"We've got to get these people out of here," she muttered, keeping her voice low.

"But what about these Ice People-?" I started but Christine cut me off with one fierce glare.

"No. That isn't our problem to worry about," she said forcibly. "We are here to get the crew out and that is it. We are not running off to find these Ice People in a bloody frozen wasteland! Let the Navy deal with the Ice People and rescue missions. Our job is to get these people out. Do you understand me, Matt?" I opened my mouth but abruptly shut it. Christine wasn't going to budge on this one; she had that look in her eye that meant trouble if I denied her.

"All right," I conceded with a sigh, checking my watch. "We've only got an hour and twenty minutes left. Let's just finish up checking the ship and get the crew aboard the Duchess. You can finish off your evaluations there." Christine nodded.

"Good, let's go."

She went back to talking to the crew and telling them the plan to get them to the Duchess while I shifted through the reports that I had in my bag. As I read through them for the millionth time, I noticed how little we actually had on the Nelson. It was slightly odd, but I dismissed it. The fact that it was a Royal Navy ship meant they weren't going to give us much information on it.

Sighing, I pulled out my voice recorder again to finish the update on the Nelson:

Mission log: 0805 hours: The team have decided to transport the crew onto the Duchess to finish psychiatric evaluations. Afterwards, the cause of the Nelson's immobilisation will be discerned by the team. All possibilities shall be looked into-

An earsplitting screech split the air and the whole ship shuddered. Everyone looked up, apprehension lingering in the air. The tension was high as a heavy silence settled.

"What the hell-?" Christine was cut off as the ship groaned and tilted side ways. Metal screeched in protest as everyone tumbled to the Port side. I rolled backwards and smashed my head into the wall, grunting in pain.

"Is everyone okay?!" Christine called out. "Matt? You all right?"

"Yeah!" I replied, slightly dazed. "I'm okay." She stumbled across to me and reached down a hand to pull me up. Murmurings swept across the room as the damage was assessed and the crew checked each other over.

"Captain? Are you all right?" I asked.

"Yes," Captain Jackson replied from across the room. "Yes, everyone is-"

Crack!

The very floor jolted and the ship starting listing further towards the Port side. Even the very walls were vibrating and shuddering, squealing as it was bent in an unnatural angle. I snapped back to reality, my survival instincts honing in.

This was not good.

"Everybody out!" I yelled. "To the ladder now!" I lunged forward, grabbing Christine and pushing her to the ladder.

"Matt!" she cried but I ignored her, practically lifting her onto the third ladder rung.

"Go," I told her. "Get up there now! Make sure everyone gets out." She gave me one hard look.

"If you don't come up after me," she said, "I will personally kill you." Then she scampered up towards the hatch. I funnelled the remaining crew towards the ladder, helping the injured to climb up.

The metal was howling as the ship continued to list, screaming out. Water was starting to leak in as the ship was bent out of shape from the crushing weight of it. Soon, everyone had managed to climb up except from me and Captain Jackson.

"Captain!" I shouted over the sound of scraping metal. "You need to get up the ladder now!" Captain Jackson shook his head.

"You first, Mr Mayhew!" He yelled. "You're our best chance of escaping this hell!"

"But your crew-" Another jolt shook the already crippling ship. I grabbed hold of the ladder to keep myself steady and just managed to stay on my feet.

Captain Jackson wasn't so lucky.

He stumbled and fell, rolling to the end of the brig and crashing into the wall. He cried out as his shoulder went crack.

"Captain! Captain, are you all right?" I cried. He groaned in reply but didn't move. I looked up the ladder and at the open hatch. I couldn't just leave Captain Jackson but how was I going to get him up there?

"Hold on, Captain!" I shouted. "I'm coming to get you!" I let go of the ladder and slid down the rapidly tilting floor, landing in a crouch next to him.

He didn't look so good. His skin was pale and sickly and it was clear his shoulder was dislocated.

Grabbing his good arm, I slung it round my shoulders and dragged him back to the ladder. "Captain, you have to pull yourself up!" I cried. He nodded and caught hold of the first rung, yanking himself up with one arm. I followed him, careful not to slip on the already dripping wet metal.

"Matt!" I heard someone call from above. I looked up and spotted Pete leaning over the hatch. "Matt, come on! We've got to get out of here! We're sinking fast!" He reached down and helped to haul Captain Jackson through the hatch and then me afterwards. We ran, stumbling through the narrow corridors and running hell for leather towards the top deck.

The ship continued listing, groaning and creaking as it did so. We managed to climb the next ladder onto the top deck and finally burst out into open air. We ran along the deck, Pete and I supporting Captain Jackson between us. Rounding a corner, we bumped right into Christine and the rest of the crew.

"Christine!" I cried. "Are you okay? What's happening?" She didn't reply, just staring out to the ocean. I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Christine, come on, talk to me!" With one shaking hand, she raised her arm, pointing across the water. I turned to look and the blood drained from my face.

Ice People were crawling all over the Duchess, snatching the crew members and dragging them overboard.

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