Consciousness returned to Marcus slowly, like wading through a thick fog. He blinked, his vision gradually coming into focus. Above him, a familiar face swam into view – Rylee, her brow furrowed with concern.
"Easy there," she said, helping him sit up. "You took quite a hit."
Marcus groaned, his head pounding. As he looked around, he saw the rest of the team in various states of recovery. They were back in their shuttle, the viewscreen showing the swirling barrier that surrounded the system.
"Did it work?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
Nigel nodded, his expression a mix of relief and uncertainty. "As far as we can tell, yes. The barrier formed, but it's... different. More stable, somehow."
"But we're still here," Lucas pointed out, rubbing his temples. "If we changed the past, shouldn't we have... I don't know, disappeared or something?"
Chelsea shook her head. "Time doesn't work that way. At least, not here. We've created a new timeline, but we still exist in it."
As the implications of their actions sank in, a heavy silence fell over the shuttle. They had prevented the catastrophe they'd witnessed, but at what cost? And what awaited them now in this altered reality?
Rylee was the first to break the silence. "We need to know what's changed. Nigel, can you access any information about the colonies on the planet?"
Nigel turned to the console, his fingers flying over the controls. After a few moments, he let out a low whistle. "Well, it looks like we definitely changed something. According to these records, there are four major colonies down there, just like in our original timeline."
"That's good, right?" Marcus asked, hope rising in his chest.
Nigel nodded slowly. "I would think so, but honestly, I don't know. I don't know what things should have been like before we messed them up."
"What are the colonies?" Rylee asked.
"The largest is New Haven, a sprawling metropolis. Then there's Greenfield, an agricultural center. Aquarius is a research facility specializing in marine studies. And the smallest..."
"Let me guess," Lucas interrupted. "Still a military base?"
"Got it in one," Nigel confirmed. "Outpost Zeta, a Colonial Defense Force stronghold."
Rylee's jaw tightened as she considered their options. "Outpost Zeta is our best bet. If anyone can help us figure out what's going on and how to get home, it'll be the military."
The team nodded in agreement, and Nigel set a course for the planet. As they descended through the atmosphere, Marcus felt a growing sense of unease. Something didn't feel right.
The clouds parted, revealing the surface below – and Marcus felt his heart sink. Instead of the vibrant world they expected, they were met with a desolate wasteland. Barren plains stretched as far as the eye could see, punctuated by the crumbling remains of what might have once been great cities.
"This can't be right," Chelsea whispered, her voice tight with disbelief. "Our reports showed a thriving world. This... this looks like thousands of years have passed."
Lucas shook his head, his expression grim. "But that's impossible. We were just at the facility. How could so much time have passed?"
As they flew over the ruins of what should have been a bustling colony, Marcus couldn't shake the feeling that they had stumbled into something far beyond their understanding. Whatever they had done in the past, whatever changes they had made, the consequences were far more severe than they could have imagined.
"Take us to the coordinates for Outpost Zeta," Rylee ordered, her voice steady despite the shock evident in her eyes. "If there's anyone left down there, that's where we'll find them."
