We reached the transport pod, panting, the cold air biting at my skin. I slammed the hatch shut, and Echo immediately powered up the systems, eyes darting to the sensors. The shadows outside shifted, moving in ways that didn’t seem natural.
“We need to take off, now,” I urged, glancing back at the dark figures surrounding the wrecked ship. “They’re getting closer.”
Echo nodded, focusing on the controls. “I’m overriding the startup sequence. Hold on.”
As the engines hummed to life, a loud bang resonated against the exterior, shaking the pod. I grabbed onto the console, peering through the window. A dark shape, humanoid yet twisted, clawed at the glass.
“Get us out of here!” I yelled, my voice cracking with fear.
Echo engaged the thrusters, and the pod lifted off, the creature clinging to the side. With a quick maneuver, Echo shook it off, sending the shadowy figure plummeting back to the ground.
“We’re clear!” Echo confirmed as the pod ascended, the ominous shapes shrinking below us. But the tension in its voice hinted at a deeper worry.
I leaned back, trying to steady my breath. “What were those things?”
“I don’t know,” Echo admitted. “But they were not of human origin.”
As we gained altitude, I retrieved the data chip from my pocket, turning it over in my hands. “Let’s see what this thing has to say.”
Echo connected the chip to the console, and distorted audio filled the cabin. Fragments of a voice crackled through the speakers, each word chilling in its vagueness: “The core… corrupted… cannot trust… no way out…”
I glanced at Echo, my stomach tightening. “What does that mean? What core?”
“I’m still analyzing the data,” Echo replied, but I could see uncertainty in its expression. “But whatever it is, it’s connected to the disturbances we’ve encountered.”
I shivered, staring out at the dark horizon. The shadows might have been left behind, but a deeper mystery loomed ahead. Whatever “the core” was, it seemed to hold the answers—and the dangers—we desperately needed to uncover.
YOU ARE READING
LunarSync Comms: Dark Protocol
Science FictionSummary: In a distant future where advanced synthetics serve as companions and assistants, Xenon finds herself isolated within the sprawling confines of a high-tech facility. Accompanied only by her android, Echo, she navigates the challenges of an...
