"What was that?" Marcus asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Rylee shook her head, her expression grim behind her helmet visor. "I don't know, but we need to move. Now."

Bryce nodded, then stretched and motioned to the guard with his manacled hands. The man seemed annoyed but didn’t object when Bryce stood and started walking into the forest. They disappeared into the foliage, and Gregory thought again of how arrogant these men were.

As the shuttle descended through the planet's atmosphere, the team huddled around the viewscreen, their expressions a mix of anticipation and dread. The swirling clouds parted, revealing a landscape that sent a collective shudder through the crew.

When he finally fell into step beside Bryce, he stared at the forest in front of him and tried to keep his voice low.

The blast door hissed open, revealing the dimly lit corridor beyond. The team moved out in tight formation, every sense on high alert as they made their way towards the maintenance tunnels.

Gregory was modestly relieved the next morning when it became clear that his new captors were actually intending for him to be treated as a guest, though one lacking total freedom. They didn’t force him to travel with them, but they also didn’t offer him a chance to leave.

The team moved cautiously through the airlock, the beams from their helmet-mounted lights cutting through the darkness of the abandoned station. The air was stale and cold, carrying an underlying scent of decay that set Marcus's nerves on edge.

The city lights blurred past as Haatim drove, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. The silence in the car grew heavier with each passing minute until finally, Petrillo couldn't take it anymore.

The car ride into the city was tense, filled with an oppressive silence that seemed to weigh on Petrillo's chest. Haatim's knuckles were white on the steering wheel, while Frieda stared out the window, her face a mask of grim determination.