Captain Steins' voice echoed through the comms system, his tone urgent.
"Emergency gathering. All team members report to the briefing room immediately."
Steins' eyes scanned the room as his team filed in, their faces etched with concern.
"Report," Steins ordered, his gaze locking onto Thompson.
Thompson shook his head. "Nothing, sir. No signs of life in the research lab. Just... bodies."
Rodriguez nodded in agreement. "Same here, Captain. No survivors."
Steins' jaw clenched. "What about the lab's internal sensors?"
Thompson, being the one who has more knowledge on technology, consulted his tablet. "All readings are offline, sir. It's like the lab's been wiped clean."
Steins' eyes narrowed. "I want to know what happened. Search every inch of that lab."
His team nodded and dispersed, returning with grim reports.
"No signs of struggle, Captain," Thompson said.
"Equipment's intact, but data's been erased," Rodriguez added.
Steins' frustration grew. "What about Dr. Richard's team? Any survivors?"
Thompson's voice trembled. "N-no, sir. They're all... gone."
Steins' gaze swept the room, his team's faces reflecting his own horror.
Suddenly, the door slid open, and sergeant patel walked in.
Steins' eyes widened as Patel's face came into view.
"Patel?" Steins' voice cracked.
Sergeant Patel stood at attention, his eyes locked onto Captain Steins.
"Sir, I've completed my sweep of the research lab," Patel began.
But before he could continue, Captain Steins' eyes widened in horror.
"Patel, your... nose," Steins stuttered.
Patel's gaze faltered, confusion etched on his face.
"Sir?"
Steins' voice was low and urgent.
"Your nose, Patel. You're... bleeding."
Patel's hand instinctively rose to his nose, and his eyes widened as his fingers came away stained with crimson.
He stumbled backward, shock written across his face.
"How... how long?" Patel stammered.
Steins rushed to his side, grasping his arm.
Thompson and Rodriguez exchanged worried glances, confusion etched on their faces.
"Captain, what's going on?" Thompson asked, his voice laced with concern.
Steins' eyes remained fixed on Patel's retreating form, his expression grim.
"Radiation poisoning," Steins said, his voice low
Rodriguez frowned.
"But, sir, how? Rodriguez said.
Thompson's gaze snapped to the radiation sensors on his wrist.
"Captain, I'm reading increasing radiation levels," Thompson warned.
Steins' head whipped toward Thompson.
"How high?" Steins demanded.
Thompson's face paled.
"Levels are spiking, sir. We're approaching critical," Thompson replied.
Rodriguez's eyes widened.
"This can't be happening," captain Steins muttered.
Steins' jaw clenched.
Thompson's brow furrowed. "Sir, how did radiation poisoning cause Patel's nosebleed?"
Steins' eyes clouded, his mind racing back to Dr. Richard's journal.
"It's not just the radiation," Steins began, his voice low and measured. "It's what Dr. Richard discovered."
Steins paused, collecting his thoughts.
"I read Dr. Richard's journal. He experimented with Erebus, pushing its limits."
Rodriguez's eyes narrowed. "What's Erebus?"
Steins' expression turned grim.
"An alien device. Dr. Richard thought it held secrets to limitless energy."
Thompson's eyes widened. "And?"
Steins' voice dropped to a whisper.
"Dr. Richard's team suffered catastrophic radiation exposure. Nosebleeds were the first symptom."
Rodriguez's face paled.
"What happened to them?"
Steins' eyes locked onto the floor.
"They died. Every single one."
"
Steins' words dropped like a nuclear bomb, obliterating the team's composure.
"An alien device?" Thompson's eyes bulged, his face pale as parchment.
Rodriguez stumbled backward, her voice trembling. "H-how did it get here?"
Patel's eyes rolled wildly, fear clawing at his sanity. "W-we're doomed. W-we can't escape."
Steins' expression hardened, his voice low and urgent. "We must contain this. Now."
But the team's panic had already metastasize
Thompson's eyes blazed with incredulity, his voice trembling as he struggled to process the revelations. "What was Erebus doing here? How did it end up on our planet?"
Steins' expression turned grave, his words dripping with weight. "The government detected Erebus in Earth's orbit a year ago. Initially, they thought it was a meteorite, a harmless chunk of space debris." He paused, collecting his thoughts.
Rodriguez's brow furrowed, his curiosity piqued. "What made them change their minds?"
Steins' gaze dropped, his voice low and laced with foreboding. "Its trajectory defied natural laws. It altered course, heading straight for our planet, as if drawn by an unseen force."
Patel's face paled, his eyes wide with fear. "And then?"
Steins' eyes locked onto the past, reliving the events. "The government tracked Erebus to a desert landing site. They cordoned off the area, establishing a top-secret research facility, code-named 'Erebus-1'."
Thompson's mind reeled, the implications sinking in. "And then they brought in Dr. Richard's team."
Steins nodded, his expression grim. "Tasked with unlocking Erebus's secrets, they began experimenting. But they didn't understand the risks, the unpredictable nature of this... thing."
Rodriguez's voice was laced with horror. "The radiation... it was a by product of their experiments."
Steins' jaw clenched, anger and frustration etched on his face. "The government knew the risks, but they pushed for results. And now... now we face the consequences."
The room fell silent, the team's minds grappling with the enormity of the situation.
Thompson's Thoughts began to wander off
_ The government secrets.... Why are they trying to cover it up. Are we just pawns in their game and How far does the deception go?
Rodriguez couldn't help but wonder why the government would hid something like this and experiment on it instead of taking safety precautions
_ Because of their actions Innocent lives were lost. Families torn apart. For what? The pursuit of knowledge or power?_
Patel fell into desperation.....
We have to get out. Before it's too late.
Steins' eyes burned with determination. We'll uncover the truth. We'll make them pay.
As the team struggled to comprehend the government's involvement, the radiation levels continued to rise.
Radiation Alert
*Critical Levels Reached*
Thompson's eyes narrowed, his voice laced with urgency. "Captain, what are the effects on humans? What can we expect?"
Steins' expression turned grim. "Radiation poisoning, Thompson. The symptoms are already manifesting in Patel."
Patel's eyes widened, fear clawing at his sanity.
Steins' voice dropped to a whisper. "Nosebleeds, nausea, fatigue... and eventually, organ failure."
Thompson's face paled. "How long does he have?"
Steins' gaze locked onto Patel. "Less than six hours, Thompson. The radiation is aggressive."
Patel's face crumpled, tears streaming down his face.
"No... no, this can't be happening," Patel whispered, his voice trembling.
Thompson's eyes filled with compassion. "Patel, we'll get you to medical. We'll do everything we can."
But Steins' expression remained grim. "It's too late, Thompson. The damage is done."
Patel's fear boiled over. "My family... I'll never see them again. My wife, i never get to have a child ..."
Steins' voice softened. "We'll get word to them, Patel. We'll make sure they know."
But Patel's despair was absolute. "It's not enough. I want to hold her one last time. I want to tell her and my family I love them."
The room fell silent, the weight of Patel's mortality hanging heavy in the air.
Thompson said inwardly. .
_This can't be happening. We can't lose him._
Rodriguez made up his mind
_We have to act fast. We can't give up._
Steins' Resolve
We'll make the most of the time left. We'll make it count.
As the clock ticked away, Patel's life hung in the balance.
Radiation Alert
Critical Levels Reached
Captain Steins' voice cut through the despair, urgency etched on his face. "We need to get out, now. The radiation is spreading. We can't let it claim us like Patel."
Thompson's eyes locked onto Patel, his friend's frail form wracked by coughs. "We can't leave him behind."
Steins' jaw clenched. "We'll carry him, but we must move. Every second counts."
Rodriguez's face set in determination. "Let's go."
But Patel's gaze drifted, his thoughts elsewhere. "My family... tell them..."
The team exchanged anguished glances, their hearts heavy.
Rodriguez's voice laced with concern. "Captain, we can't carry Patel down the maintenance hatch. It is a tight space and the emergency lockdown has sealed all doors including the airlock"
Steins' eyes narrowed, his mind racing.
Thompson shifted Patel's weight, his friend's frail form wracked by coughs.
"We need to move, Captain," Thompson urged.
Steins' gaze drifted, his thoughts consumed by the impossible.
Rodriguez's words echoed in his mind: "We can't carry Patel..."
Captain Steins' eyes locked onto the control panel. "Rodriguez, can you override the emergency lockdown?"
Thompson's brow furrowed. "Try to override the lockdown?"
Steins nodded. "We need that airlock open."
Thompson's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Working on it, Captain."
Rodriguez watched anxiously. "We're running out of time."
Thompson's fingers flew across his console.
"Come on," Thompson muttered.
"Lockdown override initiated," Thompson announced.
The console beeped, and the lockdown warning ceased.
"Airlock's open," Rodriguez announced.
Thompson helped Patel as they began to move and gradually his breathing became shallow.
"Let's move," Steins ordered.
Steins led the way, navigating through the crumbling research station. Radiation warnings blared, and the air thickened with toxic fog.
But they weren't alone.
More scratch marks marred the surrounding walls, some fresh, others older.
"These scratch marks are the same with what I saw at the maintenance hatch" Rodriguez said as he inspects the scratch marks
"Whatever is out there we need to be careful", Steins eyes narrowed
_but what could make a mark as big as this, definitely not any land animals I know of_
Rodriguez's voice trembled. "Whatever made these is still out here."
Thompson's grip on his gun tightened. "Keep moving."
Steins scanned their surroundings, his eyes narrowing. "We need to get out of here as fast as possible"
Suddenly, a snarl echoed outside, sending shivers down their spines.
"What was that?" Rodriguez whispered.
Steins' eyes narrowed. "Stay close."