As they made their way through the frozen outpost, Marcus couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. The motionless figures around them seemed to stare with unseeing eyes, their faces caught in expressions of surprise, fear, or determination. "Do you think they can see us?"

“We need to keep moving,” Bryce said.

"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.