Feeling “awake, determined and surprisingly whole,” S bursts into the chart room where Maelstrom is contemplating his maps. Just as S begins to speak, however, a burst of blue light flashes across the sky like lightning. A tremendous shock wave hits the ship, knocking both of them to the deck and sending pieces of the ship flying while the ship rocks dangerously. As this happens, a sound “like shredding metal” pierces everyone’s ears while a poisonous smell fills the air. Locating the source of the flash, Maelstrom sees six spots in the sky in the shape of a V.

While it is unclear why the blue flash occurred, it seems likely that the source of this phenomenon leads back to Vevoda, based on the V shape in the sky. FXC notes that in February of 1946, there were reports of flashes similar to the ones described in the Dutch town, Wolvega. These sightings were never remarked upon, yet Arp Syndikat owns a factory in Wolvega that manufactures weapons. Straka may be alluding to this instance on this page.