Maki stood frozen on the road, unable to move in fear. Around her, people screamed and ran for cover, but she remained frozen, her eyes wide open, fixed on the alien ship. The jets roared overhead, and she flinched as the missiles exploded uselessly against the barrier.
Her voice trembled as she whispered, "They're trying... They're trying everything. But nothing's working."
She clutched her chest, her breaths coming in shallow gasps. "Shin… if you're out there, somewhere…alive… I want to see your face one last time… And I want you to know that I miss you to this day…"
The ground shook as tanks fired their rounds, and the sound of explosions filled the air. Maki stumbled but caught herself on a nearby car, her knuckles white as she gripped its edge.
"They're too strong… And too advance…" she murmured, tears streaming down her face. "What do we do? What can we do?! Is there even a way!!!"
Joseph and Zhang watched the news feeds displayed on the Odyssey's screens. The camera footage showed the Pacific Ocean, where the US and Russia had launched multiple nuclear ICBMs at the alien ship that was hovering over the Pacific Ocean.
The screen flared as the nukes detonated in fiery plumes, each explosion sending shockwaves across the ocean's surface. But as the blinding flash from the explosions faded, the alien ship emerged, completely unharmed.
"Oh, dear God!!!…" Joseph whispered, his voice barely audible.
Zhang's face was pale, her hands clenched into fists. "Nuclear weapons… and not a scratch. How advanced are they?!"
Joseph shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "This isn't a fight. It's a one-sided massacre waiting to happen. We don't stand a candle against them..."
The news anchors' voices quavered as they relayed the events:
"Ladies and gentlemen, humanity has deployed its most powerful weapons against the alien ships. Even our nuclear arsenal has failed to penetrate their defences. What happens next is unclear, but the world waits in terror."
Joseph turned back to the phone, his voice urgent. "Abdul, are you seeing this? Nukes!!! They used fucking nukes, and it didn't even make them flinch!!!"
Abdul's voice was heavy, almost like a man who had already accepted his death. "I'm watching it all, Joseph... Every missile. Every explosion. Nothing's working. And I think nothing will also work…"
Joseph's voice rose, panic creeping in. "Abdul, you've got to get out of there! Run to a shelter or something!!"
Abdul let out a bitter laugh. "Run?! To where Joseph? Do you see the size of this thing? Do you really think there's anywhere safe on Earth right now?!"
Joseph's voice cracked. "Damn it, Abdul, don't say that! You can't give up!!"
Abdul sighed, leaning against the glass as he stared up at the ship. "Joseph, listen to me. I've accepted it. This… this is the end for us. For humanity."
"No! Don't you dare say that!!" Joseph shouted. "We're not done yet... We're not done!"
Abdul shook his head, his voice calm despite the chaos outside. "Look at them, Joseph. They're untouchable. We've thrown everything at them, and they didn't even leave a scratch. This isn't a fight we can win!!! It is better just to accept our fate at this point…There is nothing we can do..."
Maki dropped to her knees, the weight of the moment crushing down on her. Around her, the chaos continued—screams, explosions, and the fearsome distant hum of alien technology.
She clasped her hands together, her voice barely a whisper. "Please… whoever's out there, whatever higher power is listening… help us. Save us. Don't let it end like this."
Her tears fell freely as she looked up at the ship. "Shin… I love you!!!"
On the Odyssey, Joseph slammed his fist against the console. "Damn it, Abdul!!! You can't just sit there and wait to die!"
Abdul smiled faintly, a sad, tired smile. "It's funny. Shin always said you were the loud one. Always trying to fix things with your voice."
Joseph's voice softened, breaking. "Don't do this, Abdul. Don't give up…Yet..."
"I'm not giving up," Abdul replied, his gaze still locked on the ship. "I'm just accepting what's in front of me. Maybe… maybe it's time."
Across the globe, people gathered in places of worship, in homes, and on the streets. Prayers filled the air, voices rising in unison as humanity clung to hope.
In the city, Abdul stood tall, watching the alien ship with unwavering eyes. Maki stared at the vessel from her place on the ground, her lips moving in silent pleas.
And in the Odyssey, Joseph and Zhang watched the chaos unfold on the live telecast, their hearts heavy with the weight of what they were witnessing.
Humanity was on the brink of destruction…
The sky glowed sinister red as the alien ship's energy cannon hummed to life. The low, vibrating sound resonated through the air, growing louder with every passing second. On the ground, people screamed and scrambled in every direction, desperate for shelter that wouldn't save them.
Abdul, still standing on the top floor of JSRI headquarters, gripped his phone tightly as the glow intensified. His voice was quiet, calm even as he spoke. "Joseph, it's starting. The end!!"
Joseph's voice cracked through the phone. "No, Abdul! No!!! Don't you dare accept this! Run! Get out of there!"
Abdul shook his head slowly, watching the enormous ship as it prepared to fire its canon. "There's nowhere to run, my friend. Nowhere to hide. You know that as well as I do."
Maki, frozen in place, felt her knees buckle as the sky turned crimson above her. The sheer heat of the energy cannon's charge pressed down on her, suffocating and final. But then, a small sound pierced the chaos—a child's cry…
Her eyes snapped to the source: a young boy, no older than five, standing in the middle of the road, crying, tears streaming down his face. He was alone, his parents nowhere in sight.
With her shaky legs, she rushed to the boy's side…
"Sweetheart…" she whispered, her voice breaking. "Don't cry!!! Everything is gonna be okay!!!…"
She wrapped her arms around him. His tiny hands clung to her desperately as she crouched, shielding his trembling body with her own.
"It's okay, sweetheart…" she murmured, her voice soft and soothing despite the quiver in her tone. "It's okay. I've got you."
The red glow around them grew brighter, the heat more intense. She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the boy's. "I'm joining you soon, Shin," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "Wait for me…"
The energy cannon fired. A massive beam of crimson light shot downward, obliterating everything in its path. Buildings disintegrated into dust, and the ground beneath them was reduced to molten slag.
Abdul watched the beam approach from the horizon. The wave of destruction spread outward, swallowing everything in its path. He pressed the phone to his ear one last time.
"Joseph… Zhang… take care of each other. You were the best friends I could've asked for."
Joseph's voice was frantic, his words barely comprehensible through his sobs. "Abdul, don't—please! Don't do this! Now, not you too…"
"Goodbye, my friend!!" Abdul said softly, his voice steady.
The phone screen flashed as the beam reached the JSRI headquarters, and the line went dead.
Joseph stared at the disconnected call, his hand trembling as he lowered the phone. His mind was struggling to process what had just happened.
"No!!…" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Beside him, Zhang placed a hand on his shoulder. Her voice was tight, trembling with grief. "Joseph…"
But Joseph shook her off, his anguish erupting in a scream that echoed through the Odyssey's halls. "No! Abdul! Maki! Damn it, no!"
The crew around them fell into chaos, voices rising in panic and despair. Some shouted prayers, and others sobbed openly.
Zhang tried to steady herself, but even she couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face. "The Earth… What's happening to the Earth?!"
The energy beam spread across the planet. Cities crumbled into ash, and skyscrapers collapsed into molten ruins. Forests ignited into raging infernos before disintegrating entirely. Oceans boiled away into thick clouds of steam, leaving behind nothing but cracked, barren basins.
The air was thick with smoke and ash, and the once-vibrant world was reduced to a smoldering wasteland. Bones littered the ground—billions of skeletons, frozen in the moments of their final, desperate acts of survival.
From orbit, the Earth was unrecognizable. The blue-green planet was now a hellscape of fire and ash, glowing faintly in the void of space. The last remnants of humanity were gone, their cries silenced beneath the weight of annihilation.
They did not only destroy the Earth. After destroying Earth, the alien ship flew toward Mars. They also eradicated the human civilization that was built on Mars. Not a single human was left alive. They killed every life in the solar system…
Back on the Odyssey, Joseph collapsed to his knees, his hands clutching his hair as tears streamed down his face. "They're gone… They're all gone…"
Zhang knelt beside him, her face pale and streaked with tears. "Joseph… You are not alone in this one… We, all the crew of Odyssey, share the same grief…"
The crew stood in stunned silence, their eyes fixed on the viewscreen displaying a satellite view of the ruined Earth... Their home... Their families. Everything they'd ever known. Gone…
"What do we do now?!" one crew member whispered, their voice barely audible.
No one answered. There was no answer. No one could answer. All of them were drowning in unimaginable grief…
The Earth was dead.
Zhang wiped the tears from her face, forcing her emotions to the back of her mind. She straightened her posture, her expression hardening. There wasn't time to grieve—there was still a chance, however slim like a strand of hair, that something could be done. She looked at Joseph, who was still on his knees, his hands trembling.
"Joseph!!!" she said firmly, her commander's tone cutting through the fog of despair. "Get yourself together. Now."
Joseph looked up at her, his tear-streaked face filled with anguish. "Zhang… what's the point? Earth is… it's gone."
She grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. "We don't know that for sure. Not yet. But I'll be damned if I just sit here and do nothing. This ship has a purpose. We're turning around. We're going back."
Joseph blinked at her, his despair fading under her determined gaze. "Back? Zhang… even if we go back, what can we do? It's… it's over."
Her grip on his arm tightened. "It's not over until we see it with our own eyes. Until we know for sure." She took a deep breath, her voice softening slightly. "If there's even the smallest chance, Joseph… we owe it to them. To Abdul. To Shin. To everyone."
Joseph hesitated, then gave a shaky nod. "Alright… alright, I'm with you."
Zhang turned on her heel, her resolve hardening with each step as she left the cabin. Her pace quickened as she made her way to the command room, her boots echoing sharply against the metal floor.
As she entered, the crew snapped to attention, their faces a mixture of fear and confusion.
"Commander on deck!!!" one of the officers called out.
"Status report!!!" Zhang demanded, her voice steady and authoritative.
An officer at the console hesitated, his hands trembling. "Ma'am, we've detected… massive energy signatures from Earth. It's—"
"I've seen the feed," Zhang interrupted. "We're turning the ship around. Set a course for Earth. Now."
The room fell silent, her command hanging heavy in the air.
"Ma'am?" one of the navigators stammered. "But Earth is already—"
"I know what you all are thinking. But we won't know it for sure until we see it with our own eyes..." Zhang snapped, her eyes narrowing. "We're going back. Full speed. Activate the jump drive..."
The crew exchanged uneasy glances but didn't dare argue. The navigator nodded quickly and began inputting the coordinates.
"Course for Earth locked in, Commander!!" the navigator confirmed. "Awaiting your order."
Zhang took a step forward, gripping the edge of the command console. "Engage the engines. Let's move. Now."
"Yes, Commander!!!" came the unified response.
The Odyssey's engines roared to life, and the ship began to turn, its nose aligning with the distant blue dot that had once been their home. Zhang stood tall, her eyes fixed on the viewscreen.
"We're coming home," she murmured under her breath, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "Whatever's waiting for us… we're not running anymore."
TO BE CONTINUED