Astrollusion

Astrollusion ep.5 - Venomous Intruder

Jonas and Carther raced to the meeting room, carrying Lucas, who lay unconscious. Jonas muttered, "This better be the right Lucas, or I'll wring their necks and lunch them both into space." Carther, catching his breath, responded, "Calm down, oldie, he's our pilot."

Upon arrival, Lucas regained consciousness, his frantic gestures directed towards a mysterious green obstruction blocking his airways. The crew was bewildered, confronted with two identical Lucases. Dr. Alera stepped forward, brandishing a nettle plant. She tested both men. The Lucas with green-infected wounds showed no reaction, while the other bore a telltale red mark. The crew secured the imposter to a table.

In a sudden, gravity-defying twist, the imposter flipped the table and escaped while the crew rushed to contain him.

Alexei Sokolov entered from the corridors, his suit damaged, and interjected, "I faced that creature, but it slipped from my grasp."

Jonas then questioned him, "Where have you been? And what happened to you?"

Alexei replied, "Just before the party, I ventured outside in my suit to inspect the ship's exterior. I encountered a green, squishy entity adhered to our hull. I struck it with force, but my spike jammed in the ship. Somehow, it infiltrated through a small gap."

Carther added, "Well, that clarifies some mysteries."

Meanwhile, Ethan deployed a drone to navigate the dark corridors, returning to the engine room to address technical problems.

Moments later, the lights flickered to life. The announcement system chimed, declaring, 'All systems are back online.'

Jonas aided Lucas in walking to the cockpit, where Lucas promptly set the course for Mars. With renewed determination, the crew continued their journey, now with Mars only 72 hours away.

Jonas gathered the crew, his voice resolute, "We still have an unwanted visitor on our ship, and we must eliminate that thing before it causes us more harm."

Ethan stood up, offering a suggestion, "Captain Jonas, sir, I've sent a drone to inspect the ship's rooms. It's safer than sending more personnel out there." Jonas nodded, commending Ethan, "Good job, kid. Display it on the big screen, if you can."

"On it, Cap," Ethan replied.

The big screen came to life, displaying the drone's journey through the ship. It moved through the engine room, scanning every room on all four floors. As it reached the lowest level, a vast storage room filled with boxes, something green briefly flashed on the screen before the connection was abruptly severed.

Jonas pondered, "Now that it knows we're onto it, what's our next move, crew?"

Maya stepped forward, suggesting, "Perhaps we should explore what can harm this creature. According to Alexei's earlier explanation, this entity has a nearly liquid molecular structure. It might have a weakness, like how salt is deadly to snails."

Dr. Elara wasted no time. She collected a sample of the green slime the creature had left behind on the table where it lay and analyzed it under a microscope. Testing various substances, she attempted salt, fire, and acid. The sample absorbed the salt, regenerated after being burnt slightly by fire, but succumbed to the acid's effects, its cells unable to regenerate fast enough.