Sand blinded me as I ran, each step feeling like a desperate attempt to outrun an inevitable doom. My breaths came out in labored gasps, the fear gripping my heart tightening with each passing moment. The ground beneath me trembled, making it difficult to stay steady.
Risking a fleeting glance over my shoulder, I caught sight of writhing dunes, their sinister forms snaking their way towards me like living creatures. Horror seized me, urging me to run faster.
As I sprinted, the sand shifted below me causing me to slip and fall forward. Panic surged through me as I struggled to regain my footing, knowing that any delay could be fatal. In that split second of vulnerability, the sand around me seemed to come alive, swirling and rising like a hungry beast ready to devour its prey. Its suffocating embrace threatened to bury me alive, my frantic struggles futile against its relentless force.
The last thing I saw before darkness descended was the sinuous shape of a serpent, its shadowy form undulating beneath the surface of the sand.
"Wake up!" A voice jolted me out of my dream, leaving me disoriented for a moment. "Where am I? What's going on?" I groaned inwardly.
"Sorry, what's going on?" I groaned, rubbing my eyes until I could make out Amelia Grayson with her piercing blue eyes staring down at me.
"We're about to enter Mars' atmosphere. Get geared up," she said briskly.
"Already? Well, I guess it's about time. alright, I'll get ready," I replied, resigned to the fact that sleep would have to wait.
With that being said Amelia walked out of my room, her long, curly, dark blond hair flowing behind her as she moved with purpose.
"Ohh, I would have loved to have at least a couple more hours of sleep," I groaned while dragging myself out of bed. Stumbling over to the sink, I splashed cold water on my face, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep.
Staring into the mirror, I confronted my reflection, my gaze locked onto my own brown eyes. Running a hand through my dark brown hair, I noticed how much it had grown since I last cut it. With a quick attempt to style it to the side, I moved to my closet to choose an outfit for the day. Well, I only had one option. With a press of a button, my suit snugly conformed to my body, the black shoulder pads accentuating my frame, while streaks of white along my arms and legs added a touch of contrast. Giving myself one last look in the mirror, I couldn't deny feeling rather confident in the standard suit.
Navigating through the narrow halls, I made my way to the control room, having to duck slightly to get through the six-foot doors. As I entered, I was greeted by the sight of almost all the crew members, either strapped in or in the process of doing so.
Heading over to my chair, I glanced towards the front where Amelia was seated. Right next to her was Emily Carter, the flight control expert, focused on the guidance controls with her Short, dirty blond hair covering her Green eyes as she worked diligently.
"Amelia's voice cut through the chaos, her eyes scanning the room for any signs of hesitation. 'Where is Ethan?' Her tone brooked no delay, the urgency in her voice driving home the seriousness of our situation." Before she could continue, an older man hurried in and strapped himself in. "Good, it seems that you made it just in time," she remarked just before a robotic voice interrupted.
"Ten seconds before atmospheric entry," the voice announced.
I looked around at the faces of the seven people I would be spending the foreseeable future with, a mix of excitement and anticipation bubbling within me.
"Four... Three... Two... One..."
My hands gripped the armrests of my seat as the entire vessel began to rattle and shake with the force of reentry.
Outside the viewport, flames licked at the hull, casting an ominous glow that painted the interior in shades of fiery red. The sound of creaking metal filled the air, accompanied by the occasional loud bang as the ship fought against the atmospheric pressure.
"Steady, everyone!" Captain Amelia's voice boomed over the commotion, her tone a mix of authority and reassurance. "We're entering rough turbulence, but the ship can handle it."
With a violent shake I was thrust harshly into my harness. Gravity seemed to pull at every fiber of my being, pressing me down with a weight that felt both exhilarating and terrifying.
"Brace for landing!" came the captain's command, and I tightened my grip on the armrests, my heart racing with anticipation.
With a deafening roar, the ship broke through the final layers of the atmosphere, and suddenly, the turbulence eased. The once tumultuous journey now felt like a gentle glide as we descended towards the planet's surface.
Through the viewport, I caught my first glimpse of our destination—a world of untamed beauty, its landscapes, a patchwork of jagged mountains and rusty expanses.
As the ship leveled out, the rattling and shaking subsided, replaced by the soft hum of the engines as we coasted towards our landing site. I couldn't help but feel a surge of exhilaration mixed with relief as we got closer to Mars's surface.
Finally The ship touched down with a controlled thud, the landing struts absorbing the impact, and our anxious anticipation transformed into a collective sigh of relief.
"Alright, let's get geared up," Amelia said as she unbuckled herself and stood up.
walking towards the hangar bay, a figure jogged up to me, catching my attention with his slightly pudgy frame, curly brown hair, and green eyes. He introduced himself with a friendly smile, adding a warm touch to our already bustling environment.
"I'm Henry Williams. I'm sorry I didn't get to introduce myself before launch," he said, his tone eager and apologetic.
"No worries," I replied, trying to ease any tension. "We had lots to do, and I can imagine being the mechanic, you must have had your hands full."
"No kidding," Henry chuckled. "I'm glad I get a break now."
"All I talked to was Owen and Benjamin," he added, highlighting the limited interactions during the journey.
"Who are they? I'm sorry; I was mostly in cryo for the majority of the trip," I apologized, feeling a bit disconnected from the crew dynamics.
"No worries, I get it," Henry reassured me. "Owen is the quiet guy with the slim body, messy dark brown hair and... oh crap, I can't think of what his eye color is." He scratched his head for a second before recalling, "Oh yeah, now I remember it's cyan. Sorry, I had to think of the word for a sec. Also, Benjamin is the elderly man with black and white hair, that's tied up in a bun. Also he has brown eyes."
"Oh, I remember now; he was the one that did my inspection as I woke up from cryo sleep. He's the doctor, right?"
"Yep," Henry confirmed, stepping aside to open the door to the hangar for me.
“Well it is nice to finally officially meet you,” I called back as I descended the stairs.
Eager to get geared up I jogged to my gear. As I approached, Amelia's voice echoed through the space, drawing my attention.
"Alright, I'm going to go through our mission once again for those that didn't pay attention last time," Amelia announced, her gaze briefly flickering towards Ethan Mitchell, the older man who seemed disinterested, his nonchalant attitude palpable. His unkempt black hair and beard, coupled with a lazy gaze from his dark brown eyes, stood out in stark contrast to the focused energy of the rest of the team.
"Listen up, everyone," she continued, her words slicing through the silence that had settled in the hangar. "As you all know, Colony Alpha's communication ceased three weeks ago. Our mission is to descend and asses the safety of the area."
“I heard that we are going to be splitting into teams, may I know why that is?” a woman, slightly older than me, with long light brown hair and piercing blue eyes, inquired.
“The reason for that Ella is the colony spans about 4.6 miles in all directions, and we have confirmed that there are no life signatures, so we will need to cover more ground,” Amelia explained, her tone confident and decisive.
"Since all that is settled, I'll assign teams. Atlas Mercer and Henry Williams, you two will be together," she directed, acknowledging our partnership. "Once we enter the colony, I want you to check if the life support system is in working order. Me, Ella Adams, and Emily Carter will be going to scout the west side, and Dr. Benjamin and Ethan Mitchell will scout the east.”
“Alright, get suited up,” she concluded, setting the stage for the imminent exploration of Colony Alpha.
With a mechanical whir and locking mechanism release, the ship's access ramp lowered, revealing the rocky Martian landscape before us. My heart thumped with a mix of exhilaration and anticipation as I set foot onto the crimson surface, feeling the satisfying crunch of rusty soil under my boots. Above, the dusky pink sky stretched out, elongating shadows across the jagged terrain and setting the stage for our trek. Exchanging glances with my comrades, I meticulously checked my exoskeleton suit, ensuring every detail was in order. As I looked around at everyone else in their matching exoskeletons, we secured our helmets tightly against the hostile environment and fanned out, our suits feeding constant data to the ship to ensure our safety.
Approaching Colony Alpha, the once-bustling structures now stood in eerie silence, casting a palpable sense of abandonment that hung heavy in the air. Despite the insulation of my suit, a shiver of unease ran down my spine as the wind carried a faint whisper through the deserted streets. Gripping my burst rifle tighter, I scanned the distant shadows for any possible movement, my senses heightened by the unsettling atmosphere.
However, Amelia's voice sounding out through the intercom brought me back to attention as we entered the biosphere. "Okay, everyone, check in every 2 minutes," she instructed, her voice cutting through the silence.
As we traversed the abandoned streets, the weight of silence pressed down on us like a heavy cloak, each step reverberating in the emptiness around us. I turned to Henry, my voice barely above a whisper, "Do you think anyone made it out of here?"
Henry's expression mirrored my concern. "I don't know, but we have to keep looking. There might be survivors out there," he replied, his voice steady and resolute.
“I just can't imagine how this even happened, there were no warning signals, they all just disappeared.”
“Ya having no bodies makes it even more creepy if you ask me,” he said while looking around suspiciously.
"Well, I guess dwelling on it won't help us, so let's just focus on what we discover," I reassured, trying to maintain a positive outlook. Continuing our journey through the deserted streets, our footsteps were muffled against the dusty ground, adding to the eerie silence of the abandoned colony. Approaching the air system a little circular building, Henry tried the door with a twist, and luckily, it was open.
Entering the room, I observed everything to be in working order, with nothing out of place. “Looks like it's working well,” I commented, relieved to see the essential systems functioning smoothly.
"Yeah, it does seem like it's working, but I'll just double-check. It's better to be safe than sorry," Henry remarked, his eyes scanning the machinery for anomalies. "If we can ensure the air system is working properly, it could save lives."
Together, we meticulously checked each component, our fingers tracing over valves and pipes. The rhythmic hum of the machinery provided a reassuring backdrop, a stark contrast to the eerie silence that enveloped us.
"Looks like everything's in order," Henry remarked, a hint of relief coloring his voice as we completed our inspection.
"Let's hope it stays that way." i added unsealing my helmet and breathing in the fresh air
“Life support is functional," I reiterated over the communications, ensuring everyone was aware of the status.
“Okay, start heading to the center,” Amelia's voice crackled through the communications, her urgency palpable.
Venturing deeper into the heart of the colony, each step seemed to add to the tension thickening in the air, as if the buildings themselves harbored untold secrets waiting to be uncovered.
As we stepped into the first structure, a residence building with its multiple circular sections interconnected by extendible sections, I couldn't help but feel a surge of optimism. "Maybe we'll find some clues in these buildings," I suggested, my voice carrying a hint of hopefulness.
Henry nodded in agreement, his eyes scanning the interior for any signs of life. "Let's split up and search each room," he proposed. "We need to cover as much ground as possible."
Walking through rooms was unsettling, with Tables laid overturned, personal items scattered about, and a sense of disorder in the air. But it was the tracks we found that sent a chill down my spine—tracks indicating people had fled in all directions before abruptly disappearing.
Exiting a smaller repair station, Captain Grayson's commanding voice broke the silence over our communicators, "Everyone, gather around my location."
"Okay, we'll head over," I responded, following the map to Amelia's location. In the distance, amid taller buildings, my eyes caught sight of a colossal object.
Against the backdrop of the fading Martian night sky, an immense, monolithic structure loomed. It was like nothing I had ever seen—pitch black and standing unnaturally against the surrounding mining facility. It hummed with a palpable vibration, a presence I could almost feel from a distance.
As I cautiously approached Amelia, I lowered my gun, my senses on high alert. I scanned the area, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
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