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We Were Sent to a Distant Planet. Some of us Didn't Make it Back. · Creepy Stories to Fall Asleep To

0:00
I stepped off the shuttle ramp onto Altaris Prime, my
0:03
environmental suit heavy despite the planets lighter gravity.
0:08
My boots left imprints in the rusty soil.
0:12
Eight years of research, grant applications and bureaucratic
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battles had led to this moment. Remember everyone, this is
0:20
strictly observation and documentation, Doctor Patel
0:25
said, her voice coming through crisp in my helmet.
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Com She stood at the front of our small group, her petite
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frame somehow commanding even in the bulky environmental gear.
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I cannot stress this enough. No physical contact with
0:41
artifacts under any circumstances.
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We don't know what materials we're dealing with here.
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Some of us have done this before, Patel.
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Felix muttered on a private channel to me.
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I ignored him and kept my eyes on Doctor Patel as she continued
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her briefing. Her dark eyes scanned each team
1:02
member's face through their helmet visors, making sure her
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message landed. The Coalition's
1:09
xenoarchaeological protocols exist for a reason, she said.
1:14
This civilization vanished without explanation.
1:18
Until we understand why, we treat everything as potentially
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hazardous questions. Jorge raised his hand.
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Atmospheric readings thin but stable, Doctor Patel answered.
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Oxygen levels at 22% of Earth normal.
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Keep your suit sealed at all times.
1:41
The ruins of Altaris Prime rose from the horizon ahead of us,
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surrounded by rolling hills covered in rust colored
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vegetation that resembled coral. My God, Josephine whispered next
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to me. The satellite images didn't do
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it justice. I had to agree.
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The city, if that's what it was, sprawled across the valley floor
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in patterns too perfect to be natural, but too organic to feel
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designed by minds like ours. Massive structures twisted
2:14
upward, their surfaces catching the light of Altaris's distant
2:18
sun in ways that made them appear to shimmer and shift.
2:23
Let's move, Doctor Patel ordered.
2:26
Base camp needs to be established before sunset.
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We trudged forward as a group, equipment packs weighing heavily
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on our backs. Jeffrey, our security officer,
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took point position, while Beverly, our medical officer,
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brought up the rear, the standard formation for first
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contact with potentially hazardous sites.
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As we got closer, I pulled out my handheld scanner and began
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taking preliminary readings of the structures.
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The material defied easy classification, neither metal
3:00
nor stone. According to my instruments, it
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had properties of both, with an unusual molecular structure that
3:07
seemed to absorb and redirect light.
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Hampton, what are you getting? Felix called over.
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I shook my head. Nothing that makes sense.
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This material isn't in our database.
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We reached the outskirts of the ruins.
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Doctor Patel called a halt. This is far enough.
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We set up camp here, outside the city boundary.
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We spent the next few hours setting up our research base.
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We deployed habitat modules, installed perimeter sensors, and
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calibrated the communications array to maintain contact with
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the horizon in orbit. By sunset, we had established A
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functional base of operations. Not bad for day one.
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Jorge said, pulling off his helmet as we gathered in the
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main habitat module for our evening meal.
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Tomorrow we start the real work. I nodded, still thinking about
4:04
what I'd seen as we approach the city.
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Something about the structures bothered me, a pattern I
4:11
couldn't quite place. The next three days fell into a
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rhythm of exploration and documentation.
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We split into teams of two, mapping different sections of
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the outer ruins while maintaining constant
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communication. Doctor Patel insisted we stay
4:29
within visual range of at least one other team at all times.
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It was on the third day that I began noticing details.
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The others seem to miss small things at first.
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Shadows that didn't quite match the objects casting them, Angles
4:45
that seem to change when viewed from different positions.
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But it was the statues that truly caught my attention.
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Jorge. I called to my partner for the
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day. Come look at this.
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He made his way over to where I stood before what appeared to be
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a life sized sculpture of a humanoid figure.
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The figure was frozen in a posture that could only be
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described as terrified, arms raised as if to ward off some
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attack, face contorted in what looked unnervingly like human
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fear. Interesting artistic choice.
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Jorge commented, snapping several photos.
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That's not what bothers me. I said look around.
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They're everywhere once you start noticing them.
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And they were. Scattered throughout this
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section of the ruins were dozens of similar figures, all captured
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in moments of apparent panic or flight, some reaching out, some
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curled protectively, all with the same unmistakable expression
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of terror. Maybe it was religious, Jorge
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suggested, representations of some cultural mythology about
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judgement or punishment. I wasn't convinced.
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Maybe there was something else I hadn't mentioned to anyone yet.
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The silence. Not just quiet, but a strange
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absence of sound that swallowed our footsteps and voices.
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Our suits were designed to transmit external sounds for
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safety, but here those sounds seemed muffled, as if the air
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absorbed them. That evening, I approached
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Doctor Patel as she reviewed the day's data in her private
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module. Do you have a minute?
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I asked from the doorway. She looked up from her tablet
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and nodded. Of course, Hampton, what's on
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your mind? I sat across from her and tried
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to organize my thoughts. I've been noticing some unusual
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aspects of the ruins. Such as?
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Her tone was professional, but I caught the slight edge of
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impatience. The statues, for one.
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They all depict figures in states of extreme fear.
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Doesn't that strike you as odd for public art?
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And there's something about the acoustics of the place.
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Sounds don't travel normally. Doctor Patel set down her tablet
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and looked at me directly. Hampton, you're one of our best.
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That's why you're here. But you're also prone to, let's
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call it, intuitive thinking, meaning meaning you sometimes
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see patterns where there might not be any.
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We're on an alien world, experiencing an environment
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utterly foreign to human sensory adaptation.
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It's natural to feel unsettled. This isn't about feeling
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unsettled, I insisted. There's something wrong about
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this place. She sighed.
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Have you been taking your adaptation supplements?
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Dr. Nguyen mentioned you hadn't checked in.
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I felt a flush of embarrassment. I've been busy with the survey
8:02
work. Take your supplements, get a
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full night's sleep, and see how things look tomorrow.
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She said, her tone making it clear the conversation was over.
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Your mind is playing tricks on you because you're exhausted and
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your body is still adjusting to the planetary conditions.
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I left her module feeling dismissed and frustrated.
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Back in my own sleeping quarters, I swallowed the
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adaptation pills Beverly had prescribed and lay on my cot,
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staring at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come.
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After an hour of restless turning, I got up and went to
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find Doctor Chen. As our team linguist, he'd been
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working on translating some of the symbols we'd found etched
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into the structures. I found him still awake, hunched
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over his workstation in the common area.
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Can't sleep either? I asked.
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He looked up, blinking tired eyes.
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Too much to process these symbols.
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They're unlike anything in our comparative databases.
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I pulled up a chair. Have you made any progress?
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Some, he admitted, turning his screen so I could see.
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I've identified recurring patterns that might be phonetic
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elements rather than idiograms, and there's this sequence that
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appears at what we think are entrances to buildings.
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He pointed to a particular arrangement of curved lines and
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dots. Any idea what it means?
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I asked. Chen hesitated.
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It's very preliminary, but based on contextual placement and
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frequency analysis, it could be a warning of some kind, or
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perhaps danger. I felt a chill that had nothing
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to do with the habitat's temperature.
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A warning about what? That's the question, isn't it?
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Chen rubbed his eyes. Could be anything from watch
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your step to religious taboo. Without more context, it's
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impossible to say. But you're confident about the
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general meaning, warning or danger.
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He nodded slowly. Reasonably confident.
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The same symbol appears in locations that would logically
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require caution. What appear to be power centers,
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possible governmental structures.
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Have you told Patel? I included it in today's report.
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She wants more evidence before we adjust our exploration
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parameters. Chen looked at me curiously.
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Why the interest in this particular translation?
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I told him about my concerns and Doctor Patel's dismissal of
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them. Patel's just being cautious
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about jumping to conclusions, Chen said when I finished.
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But between us, I get what you're saying.
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There's something off about this place.
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The way the buildings are laid out, it's not random, but it
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doesn't follow any urban planning logic we understand
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either. We talked for another hour,
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sharing observations and theories before Chen finally
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yawned and declared he needed sleep.
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I returned to my quarters, feeling slightly validated but
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no less troubled. That night I dreamed of the
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stone figures from the ruins. They were living beings caught
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mid transformation, their screams cut off as their bodies
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turn to the city's iridescent material.
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The transformation spread across their skin, freezing them in
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poses of terror. I woke with a start, the image
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of those frozen faces still vivid in my mind.
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The habitat was quiet. I checked my watch, still 4
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hours until dawn. I lay back down, knowing sleep
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wouldn't return. Something about this place was
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wrong. Deeply, fundamentally wrong, and
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somehow I was the only one who seemed to truly feel it.
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I headed deeper into the city with a team the next morning.
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Doctor Patel LED our group through the narrow streets,
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scanning the strange structures as we walked.
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We're approaching what appears to be a central structure, she
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said, her voice crackling through my calm.
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Possibly ceremonial or governmental based on its size
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and position. Jorge walked beside me, his eyes
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constantly moving between his data pad and the buildings
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around us. You look like you didn't sleep.
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He said quietly. That obvious, huh?
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I rubbed my eyes behind my face plate.
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Just couldn't shut my brain off. The adaptation meds can mess
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with your sleep cycle. He offered.
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Happened to me on Proxima B. I didn't tell him it wasn't the
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meds keeping me awake, but the way the shadows seem to move
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when I wasn't looking directly at them.
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We rounded a corner and stopped. Before us stood a massive
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building with a domed roof and columns that twisted upward in
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that same unsettling, not quite organic pattern that
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characterized all the architecture here.
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Unlike the other structures, this one had what looked like
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steps leading up to a wide entrance.
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This is it, Doctor Patel announced.
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Definitely ceremonial. Look at the elaborate entrance
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design. Felix whistled.
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Low temple complex, maybe, Or their version of a Capitol
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building. Doctor Patel divided us into
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pairs as usual. Jorge and Grayson, you'll
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document the main chamber. Felix and Josephine take the
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eastern wing. Beverly and I will examine the
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entrance inscriptions. Jeffrey, maintain position at
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the entrance for security. Jeffrey nodded, his hand resting
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on his sidearm. Standard procedure, but it made
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me wonder if he felt the same unease I did.
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Jorge and I climbed the steps slowly, our boots making hollow
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sounds against the material. Up close, the entrance was even
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more impressive, a massive archway covered in those same
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symbols Doctor Chen had been studying.
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Look at this, Jorge said, running his gloved hand just
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above the surface of one symbol. Chen would love to see these,
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they're much more elaborate than the ones we found elsewhere.
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We passed through the entrance into a vast open space.
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The ceiling soared high above us, with skylights letting
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sunlight into the darkness. Our helmet lights revealed more
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of those unsettling statues throughout the chamber.
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There's a lot more of them in here.
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I said, counting at least 20 figures frozen in various poses.
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Jorge nodded. Makes sense if this was a
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religious site. Representations of their deities
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maybe, But these didn't look like gods.
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They looked terrified, each statue was captured mid motion,
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arms raised as if to shield themselves from something, and
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they all faced away from the center of the room.
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Jorge, do you notice anything about the positioning?
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I asked. He shined his light around the
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room. They're all facing outward,
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maybe part of some ritual or running away from something?
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I muttered. Jorge gave me a look, but didn't
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comment. We moved deeper into the
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chamber, our lights eventually revealing a raised platform in
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the center. On it stood A pedestal about
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waist high, made of the same material as the rest of the
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city. What's that?
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Jorge stepped closer, his light focusing on something atop the
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pedestal. I followed his gaze and felt my
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breath catch. Sitting on the pedestal was a
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small object, no bigger than my fist.
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Unlike everything else we'd seen, it wasn't made of the
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strange city material. It was crystalline, translucent,
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and pulsing with a soft blue light.
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That's different. I said, moving closer.
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Careful, Jorge warned. Remember protocols.
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No touching. I know, I assured him, though I
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felt strangely drawn to the object.
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The blue light pulsed in a rhythm that seemed almost like a
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heartbeat. I leaned in, careful not to get
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too close, and studied it through my face plate.
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We should call Patel, Jorge said, already reaching for his
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calm while he contacted the others.
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I circled the pedestal, examining the crystal from all
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angles. The light within it shifted as I
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moved, almost as if it were tracking my position.
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I pulled out my scanner and took readings, but like everything
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else in this city, the results came back inconclusive.
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As I completed my circuit around the pedestal, my light fell on
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another statue positioned directly behind it.
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I froze. This statue was different from
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the others. While it had the same terrified
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pose, arms raised defensively, what made my skin crawl was what
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it wore. A research uniform with patches
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that look disturbingly similar to our own expedition gear.
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I stepped closer, my heart pounding.
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The details were unmistakable. The same cut of uniform, the
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same pocket placement, even what looked like a scanner clutched
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in one hand. The face was contorted in
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terror, mouth open in a silent scream.
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Jorge. I called, my voice shaking.
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You need to see this. Jorge came over, still talking
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to Doctor Patel on the calm. When his light fell on the
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statue, he stopped mid sentence. What the hell?
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He whispered. It's wearing our uniform, I
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said. Or something very close to it.
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Jorge moved his light over the statue, examining every detail.
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That's that can't be right. Maybe it's just a coincidence.
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Similar body structure to humans, so similar clothing
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design. I shook my head.
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Look at the patches, the pocket placement.
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That's our design. Doctor Patel's voice came
18:57
through our comms. We're coming to your position.
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Don't touch anything. Within minutes, the entire team
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had gathered around the pedestal and the disturbing statue.
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Doctor Patel examined it closely, her expression hidden
19:13
behind her face plate. Interesting, she said finally.
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Very interesting. Interesting, I repeated.
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It's wearing our uniform. How is that possible?
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Unless someone from Earth was here before, there's no record
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of previous expeditions to Altera's Prime, Jeffrey said.
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Then how do you explain this? I demanded.
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Doctor Patel straightened up. We don't jump to conclusions.
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We document, analyze, and report.
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This could be many things, a coincidence, an example of
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convergent design, or yes, evidence of previous human
19:55
contact that wasn't recorded, or something mimicking us.
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I said quietly. Everyone turned to look at me.
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What did you say? Doctor?
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Patel asked. I gestured around the room.
20:11
All these statues look like they're running from something.
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What if they're not statues? What if they're preserved
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somehow? And this one?
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I pointed to the uniformed figure.
20:24
What if it's from a previous expedition that never made it
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home? A heavy silence fell over the
20:30
group. Beverly was the first to speak.
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That's quite a leap, Grayson. We have no evidence to support
20:38
that theory. Look at their faces.
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I insisted. That's real fear, and they're
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all running from the center from this.
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I pointed to the crystal doctor. Patel sighed.
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We'll document everything thoroughly and include your
20:55
observations in the report. For now, let's continue with our
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assigned tasks and remember no physical contact with any
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artifacts. The rest of the day passed in a
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blur. We photographed the central
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chamber, took readings of the pulsing crystal, and mapped the
21:15
structure. But I couldn't shake the image
21:19
of that uniformed statue with its terrified face, or the sense
21:23
that the other statues had moved when I wasn't looking at them.
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By evening, we returned to base camp, the team gathered for
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dinner and debriefing. But I couldn't focus.
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My eyes kept drifting to the city, visible through the
21:38
windows, it's strange angles catching the sunset.
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After dinner, I approached Dr. Nakamura, our medical officer.
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She was reviewing data on her tablet in the small medical Bay
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adjacent to the main module. Got a minute?
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I asked, hovering in the doorway.
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She looked up and smiled. Of course, Grayson, what can I
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help you with? I stepped inside and closed the
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door behind me. I think I might be
22:09
hallucinating. Her expression turned serious.
22:13
What are you experiencing? I sat down across from her.
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The statues in the city. I keep seeing them move, not
22:22
when I'm looking directly at them, but in my peripheral
22:25
vision. And I'm hearing things too,
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Whispers sometimes, like someone's just behind me, but
22:33
when I turn around, there's nothing there.
22:36
Doctor Nakamura set down her tablet.
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How long has this been happening?
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Since yesterday, and it's getting worse.
22:45
Are you taking your adaptation supplements regularly?
22:49
I nodded. Every morning and night, like
22:52
prescribed, she pulled up my medical file on her tablet.
22:57
Any other symptoms? Headaches, nausea,
23:00
disorientation, just trouble sleeping and I hesitated.
23:07
A feeling of being watched all the time.
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Doctor Nakamura typed some notes.
23:15
The adaptation to Altara's Prime's environment can cause
23:18
neurological side effects in some people.
23:20
The thin atmosphere, different light spectrum, even subtle
23:24
gravitational differences can all impact brain chemistry.
23:29
So you think that's all it is? Just my brain adjusting?
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She gave me a reassuring smile. Most likely, but let's not take
23:39
chances. She opened a cabinet and took
23:43
out a small bottle of pills. These should help you sleep and
23:47
might reduce any hallucinatory side effects.
23:50
Take one before bed tonight. I took the bottle, turning it
23:55
over in my hand. Thanks.
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And Grayson, she added as I stood to leave.
24:03
Try to relax first. Planetary expeditions are
24:06
stressful even under ideal conditions.
24:09
What you're experiencing is probably just fatigue combined
24:12
with an active imagination. I nodded, not bothering to tell
24:17
her about the uniformed statue. If she thought I was just tired
24:22
and stressed now, that would definitely push me into the
24:26
losing it category in her assessment.
24:30
Back in my quarters, I sat on the edge of my bunk and stared
24:34
at the pill bottle. Outside, Altaris Prime's moon
24:38
had risen over the alien city. The structures shimmered, their
24:42
angles wrong in ways I couldn't define.
24:46
I took one of the pills and washed it down with water from
24:48
my canteen. Then I lay back on my bunk and
24:53
closed my eyes, willing sleep to come.
24:57
But it didn't. Despite the medication, my mind
25:01
raced with images from the temple, the crystal pulsing with
25:05
blue light, the statues with their faces frozen in terror.
25:09
The uniformed figure that looked so much like one of us.
25:13
Hours passed and I remained awake, staring at the ceiling of
25:18
my quarters. I heard a sound like howling
25:21
wind, rising and falling in pitch.
25:24
I sat up. It was impossible.
25:28
Altarus Prime's atmosphere was too thin to create such wind.
25:32
Yet the mournful wailing came from the direction of the city.
25:36
I got up and moved to the window.
25:39
The city stood silent under the moonlight.
25:42
The sound came again, louder this time, and I saw movement
25:47
among the buildings, shadows flowing between structures.
25:51
I spent the rest of the night sitting by the window, watching
25:55
the city and listening to that impossible wind.
25:59
When morning came, I was exhausted but oddly clear
26:03
headed. I knew what I had to do.
26:07
The team gathered for breakfast and the day's assignments.
26:11
Doctor Patel announced we would be mapping the eastern quadrant
26:14
of the city today, focusing on what appeared to be residential
26:18
structures. Will maintain the same pairs as
26:21
yesterday, she said. Stay in visual contact at all
26:25
times. I nodded along with everyone
26:28
else, but I had no intention of following the plan.
26:32
As the team prepared to head out, I deliberately lagged
26:36
behind, pretending to adjust my equipment.
26:40
Once they had moved far enough ahead, I turned and headed in
26:43
the opposite direction, back toward the temple and its
26:47
central chamber. I knew I was violating
26:50
protocols. Going alone was strictly
26:53
forbidden, as was separating from my assigned partner.
26:58
But I couldn't shake the feeling that the answers I needed were
27:01
in that chamber, with that strange crystal that pulsed like
27:04
a heartbeat. The city seemed different in the
27:08
morning light, less threatening but no less alien.
27:13
I moved quickly through the streets, retracing our path from
27:16
the day before. No one called me on the calm,
27:21
which meant they hadn't noticed my absence yet.
27:24
Or if they had, they assumed I was with another group.
27:28
I reached the temple and climbed the steps.
27:31
The entrance yawned before me, dark and silent.
27:36
I switched on my helmet lights and stepped inside.
27:41
The central chamber looked exactly as we had left it the
27:43
day before. The statue stood frozen in their
27:47
poses of terror, all facing away from the center.
27:51
The crystal on the pedestal pulsed with that same blue
27:54
light. Perhaps a bit faster now.
27:58
Or was that my imagination? I approached slowly, my
28:03
footsteps echoing in the vast space.
28:06
The uniformed statue seemed to watch me, though its face was
28:10
turned away. I stopped before the pedestal
28:14
and stared at the crystal up close.
28:17
It's sparkled with an inner light that shifted like liquid.
28:22
The pulsing had increased in tempo, matching my racing heart.
28:27
I knew I shouldn't touch it. Every protocol, every rule of
28:31
xenoarchaeology forbade physical contact with unanalyzed
28:35
artifacts, but I felt drawn to it in a way I couldn't explain,
28:41
as if it were calling to me specifically.
28:45
My heart pounded in my chest as I slowly raised my hand.
28:49
The crystal pulsed faster, it's blue light growing more intense.
28:54
I hesitated, my hand hovering inches above the artifact.
28:59
This is crazy, I whispered to myself.
29:04
Don't do this. But even as the rational part of
29:07
my brain screamed warnings, my hand moved forward as if with a
29:12
will of its own. My gloved fingertips touched the
29:15
crystal smooth surface. The blue light exploded outward,
29:20
enveloping me in a blinding flash.
29:24
Pain shot through my body unlike anything I'd ever experienced,
29:28
as if every cell were being torn apart and reassembled.
29:33
I tried to scream, but no sound came out.
29:36
The world around me shattered like glass, reality itself
29:39
seeming to crack and fall away in jagged pieces.
29:43
And then everything went black. I felt like I was being torn
29:47
apart from the inside. My bones cracked and my skin
29:51
stretched as blue light seared through my eyelids.
29:56
I couldn't even scream. My lungs had collapsed, or maybe
29:59
they'd exploded. I couldn't tell anymore.
30:04
The pain stopped so suddenly I thought I might have died.
30:08
I lay on the cold stone floor, gasping and trembling, afraid to
30:12
open my eyes. When I finally did, the chamber
30:16
looked wrong. The same basic structure, but
30:21
decayed, crumbling. The walls were covered in what
30:24
looked like black mold or some kind of fungal growth, and above
30:29
me, where the domed ceiling should have been intact, a
30:34
massive hole revealed a sky that turned my stomach a deep,
30:39
unnatural Crimson that pulsed like a living thing.
30:44
I pushed myself up, my arms weak and shaking.
30:48
My environmental suit was intact, but the readouts on my
30:51
wrist display flickered with nonsense data.
30:54
The oxygen level reading jumped between numbers that made no
30:58
sense. Jorge.
31:01
I called out, my voice sounding flat and muffled in the dead
31:05
air. No response.
31:09
I stumbled toward the entrance. My equilibrium shot to hell.
31:14
The doorway I remembered had partially collapsed, leaving a
31:17
jagged opening I had to squeeze through.
31:20
Outside, the alien city stretched before me, but
31:25
transformed into something from a nightmare.
31:28
The elegant structures were now twisted, broken things.
31:33
The streets between them seem to pulse and shift.
31:36
When I wasn't looking directly at them, movement caught my eye,
31:40
a figure shambling along what had been the main thoroughfare.
31:44
Relief washed over me. Hey.
31:47
I called out, waving my arms. Over here.
31:51
The figure turned, and my relief curdled into horror.
31:55
It was Doctor Patel. At least it had been Doctor
31:59
Patel. Her body had stretched,
32:02
elongated to impossible proportions.
32:05
Her arms hung nearly to the ground, bent at angles that
32:08
couldn't exist in human anatomy. Her head lolled to one side on a
32:12
neck too long and thin to support it.
32:15
And her face, God, her face. Her eyes had tripled in size,
32:20
bulging from their sockets, while her mouth had shrunk to a
32:22
tiny, perfect circle. I backed away, choking down
32:27
bile. Doctor Patel, or the thing that
32:31
had been Doctor Patel, didn't approach me.
32:35
Instead, she turned away and continued her shambling path,
32:40
following the exact same route I'd seen her take earlier that
32:43
morning. When we first entered the city,
32:46
another figure emerged from behind a twisted column, This
32:50
one moved with jerky mechanical motions as it came into view.
32:56
I recognize the remains of Doctor Chen.
32:59
His face had split vertically down the middle, each half
33:02
peeling back to reveal rows of needle like teeth where his
33:05
brain should have been. His hands had fused into claw
33:08
like appendages that scraped against the stone as he moved.
33:12
I pressed myself against the wall of the temple, trying to
33:15
make sense of what I was seeing. Chen moved to the same spot
33:19
where he'd stopped to take readings earlier, his body going
33:22
through the exact same motions, checking his scanner, making
33:25
notes. Except now it was a grotesque
33:29
pantomime performed by something that wasn't human anymore.
33:34
More figures appeared. Felix and Josephine twisted and
33:38
changed, moving through the ruins on the same paths they'd
33:41
taken before. Jeffrey stood at attention by
33:44
the temple entrance, his body, now impossibly thin, stretched
33:49
upward like a Reed bending in the wind, his head replaced by
33:54
what looked like a cluster of small tentacles.
33:57
They were all caught in a loop, repeating the same actions over
34:01
and over. None of them seemed aware of me
34:04
or each other. They were like recordings
34:07
playing on a broken screen. I slid down the wall until I was
34:12
sitting, trying to control my breathing.
34:16
Panic wouldn't help me here. I needed to think.
34:20
The crystal. This had started when I touched
34:23
the crystal. I looked down at my hands, half
34:27
expecting to see them transformed like my colleagues,
34:31
but they looked normal. Why was I spared?
34:36
Or was this just the beginning of my own transformation?
34:40
I forced myself to focus. If touching the crystal had
34:43
brought me here, maybe it could send me back.
34:47
It was the only theory I had. I peered around the corner of
34:51
the temple entrance. The thing that had been Jeffrey
34:55
didn't react to my presence. It just stood there, swaying
34:59
slightly, those tentacles where its head should be, writhing
35:02
slowly in the stagnant air. I had to get past it to reach
35:07
the central chamber. I took a deep breath and stepped
35:10
into the open, moving slowly. Jeffrey's tentacles twitched,
35:16
but didn't turn toward me. I edged around him, giving him
35:20
as wide a birth as possible, and slipped back into the temple.
35:25
Inside, I nearly ran into what had been Beverly.
35:29
Her body had melted somehow into a shape like a four legged
35:33
spider, her head still recognizably human, but upside
35:37
down, her mouth opening and closing as if she were speaking,
35:41
though no sound came out. I pressed against the wall,
35:45
waiting for her to move past me, following whatever path she was
35:49
doomed to repeat. Once she was gone, I made my way
35:54
deeper into the temple. The main chamber was darker now,
35:59
the skylights clogged with some kind of black growth, but I
36:04
could see well enough to make out the central platform.
36:08
The pedestal was still there, and on it the crystal.
36:12
But it had changed. No longer blue, it now pulsed
36:16
with a sickly red glow that matched the sky outside.
36:21
I approached, watching for the others.
36:24
The chamber was empty except for the statues, which now looked
36:27
like cocoons with wet, glistening surfaces.
36:31
The crystals red light grew more intense as I got closer, pulsing
36:35
faster as if it's sensed my presence.
36:40
I stood before the pedestal, staring at the object that had
36:43
brought me to this nightmare. What if touching it again made
36:48
things worse? What if there was another
36:51
reality even more horrible than this one?
36:54
But what choice did I have? Stay here and eventually become
36:58
like the others? I reached out, my hand
37:01
trembling. The crystals light bathed my
37:04
fingers in red. I hesitated for a second, then
37:08
grabbed it firmly. The pain hit me even harder this
37:12
time. My vision went white, then
37:14
black. I felt my body stretching,
37:18
compressing, turning inside out. Reality tore apart around me,
37:23
and I tore with it. I couldn't tell if I was
37:26
screaming or if the universe itself was making that terrible
37:30
sound. Then everything went dark.
37:33
I collapsed on the chamber floor, gasping for air.
37:38
My lungs burned as I pulled in ragged breaths.
37:41
The pain that had torn through every cell of my body was fading
37:45
now, leaving behind a dull ache that pulsed with each heartbeat.
37:50
I blinked hard, trying to clear my vision.
37:54
The chamber looked normal. The walls were intact, not
37:59
crumbling. The ceiling was whole again, no
38:03
gaping hole revealing that impossible Crimson sky.
38:07
No black mold or fungal growth covered the surfaces.
38:11
The crystal on its pedestal glowed with a soft blue light,
38:14
not the sickly red I'd seen before.
38:18
Jorge. I called out, my voice hoarse.
38:22
No answer. I pushed myself up to my knees,
38:26
then to my feet, swaying slightly as I found my balance.
38:30
My environmental suit readings had stabilized, showing normal
38:34
atmospheric conditions. Whatever had happened when I
38:38
touched the crystal a second time had brought me back to
38:42
reality, or what passed for it on Altaris Prime.
38:47
I needed to get out, to find the others, to warn them about what
38:52
I'd seen. I stumbled toward the entrance,
38:55
my legs still weak and unsteady. The doorway was clear now, no
39:00
longer partially collapsed. I made my way through it and out
39:04
into the alien sunlight. What I saw made me freeze in
39:08
place. The streets of the ruins weren't
39:11
empty anymore. They were littered with bodies.
39:14
My team, my colleagues, my friends.
39:18
All of them scattered across the stone pathways and unnatural
39:22
poses. No, I whispered, the word barely
39:26
audible even to myself. I forced myself to move forward,
39:30
approaching the nearest form. Doctor Patel lay on her back,
39:34
arms twisted outward, fingers splayed.
39:38
Her face was locked in an expression of pure terror, mouth
39:41
open in a silent scream, eyes wide with horror.
39:46
But what made my stomach turn was the transformation happening
39:49
to her body. Her skin had hardened, taking on
39:53
a crystalline quality that caught the light.
39:57
The process seemed to be spreading outward from her
39:59
center. The edges of her limbs still
40:02
looking human, while her torso had almost completely changed to
40:05
the same strange material as the city structures.
40:09
I dropped to my knees beside her.
40:11
Doctor Patel. I reached out, but stopped short
40:15
of touching her. The realization hit me with
40:18
crushing force. The statues, They weren't art.
40:22
They weren't monuments or religious icons.
40:25
They were people. Transformed people.
40:29
I looked around wildly. Jorge lay about 20 feet away,
40:34
his body contorted in a position that matched one of the statues
40:37
I'd seen in the main chamber. Felix and Josephine were further
40:42
down the street, their bodies, also beginning to crystallize,
40:45
posed exactly like statues I'd passed dozens of times.
40:50
Beverly, Jeffrey, Doctor Chen. All of them were scattered
40:54
throughout the area, each one frozen in a moment of terror,
40:58
each one slowly turning to stone.
41:02
Oh God, I said, backing away from Doctor Patel's body.
41:07
My mind raced, connecting the pieces, the warning symbols
41:11
Doctor Chen had been translating, the strange
41:14
properties of the building materials, the unnatural
41:17
silence, the statues positioned to face away from the center of
41:21
the chamber as if running from something.
41:25
The entire city was a trap, a sophisticated, ancient trap
41:29
designed to lure curious species and preserve them as monuments
41:33
to their fear. I turned and ran, not toward the
41:38
ruins, but away from them, toward our base camp.
41:43
My legs felt like lead, but terror gave me speed I didn't
41:47
know I possessed. I had to get off this planet.
41:51
I had to warn others. I burst into the main habitat
41:55
module, heading straight for the communications array.
41:59
My hands shook as I activated the emergency channel to the
42:02
horizon. This is Hampton, Emergency
42:06
extraction requested immediately.
42:08
The entire team is down. I repeat, emergency extraction
42:12
needed now. Static crackled for several
42:16
seconds before a response came through.
42:20
Hampton, this is Captain Norton on the horizon.
42:23
What's your situation? Tammy's voice was calm but
42:26
alert. The team is dead, I said, the
42:31
words catching in my throat. All of them.
42:34
The city, It's not what we thought.
42:37
The statues are people, transformed people.
42:42
The whole place is some kind of trap.
42:45
A brief pause. Copy that.
42:48
Launching rescue shuttle now. ETA 20 minutes.
42:52
Can you hold position at base camp?
42:54
Yes, I said, looking nervously out the viewport toward the
42:57
ruins. But please hurry, I don't know
43:01
if I don't know if the city will come for me too.
43:06
Stay put, Hampton, help is on the way.
43:09
The communication ended and I was left alone with a quiet hum
43:13
of the habitat systems. 20 minutes.
43:18
I had to survive 20 minutes. I moved quickly, gathering data
43:24
cores and research tablets. If I was the only one getting
43:28
out of here, I needed to bring back as much information as
43:31
possible. Evidence of what had happened,
43:35
proof of what this place really was.
43:38
I downloaded Doctor Chen's translation work and Doctor
43:41
Patel's survey data. I grabbed Jorge's notes on the
43:45
architectural patterns and Felix's geological samples.
43:49
I packed everything into a field case, constantly glancing out
43:53
the viewport at the ruins. Did the city seem closer
43:57
somehow? Were the shadows moving
44:00
differently? I couldn't be sure, but I wasn't
44:03
taking any chances. I sealed the habitat door and
44:08
activated the perimeter sensors, though I doubted they would do
44:11
much good against whatever force controlled this place.
44:15
The minutes crawled by. I paced the small space, jumping
44:19
at every sound. The normal creaks and shifts of
44:23
the habitat module suddenly seemed menacing.
44:27
I kept thinking. I heard whispers, the same
44:30
whispers I've been hearing for days, warnings I should have
44:35
heeded. Finally, I heard the roar of
44:39
engines. I looked up through the habitat
44:42
ceiling viewport to see the shuttle breaking through the
44:44
atmosphere, a beautiful sight that brought tears to my eyes.
44:49
I grabbed the field case and moved to the airlock, waiting
44:53
impatiently as the shuttle touched down just outside our
44:56
camp perimeter. The pilot, Roberto Lopez,
45:00
emerged in his environmental suit and signaled to me.
45:04
I cycled through the airlock and ran to meet him, clutching the
45:07
field case to my chest. Where are the others?
45:12
Roberto asked, looking past me toward the camp.
45:17
They're gone. I said, my voice breaking.
45:22
We need to leave now. Roberto looked like he wanted to
45:26
ask more questions, but something in my expression must
45:29
have convinced him of the urgency.
45:32
He nodded and guided me into the shuttle.
45:36
As we lifted off, I pressed my face to the viewport, looking
45:40
down at the alien city. From this height, I could see
45:45
the entire layout of the ruins spread out below us, and for the
45:49
first time, I recognized the pattern.
45:53
The streets, buildings, and open spaces formed an intricate
45:57
design that resembled A neural network, branching pathways
46:02
connecting central nodes, spreading outward in an organic
46:05
but precise pattern. The realization made me pull
46:09
back from the window in horror. The entire city wasn't just a
46:14
trap. It was a living Organism, a
46:17
predator that had evolved to hunt intelligent, curious
46:20
species. A patient hunter that could wait
46:23
centuries between meals. As the shuttle accelerated
46:27
toward the horizon, I watched the ruins of Altaris Prime grow
46:32
smaller below us. From this distance, it looked
46:35
peaceful, beautiful even, A perfect lure for the next
46:40
unsuspecting visitors. I closed my eyes, knowing I
46:44
would never escape what I had seen.
46:47
The images of my transformed colleagues would stay with me
46:50
forever, their faces frozen in the moment they realize the
46:54
truth too late. I sat alone in the Horizons
46:58
quarantine chamber, a small white box of a room with nothing
47:03
but a metal bench, a toilet, and a single viewport.
47:07
Looking out into the corridor. My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
47:12
I tried to steady them for the past hour, but every time I got
47:16
close, I'd see Jeffrey's face in my mind, the way his features
47:21
had started crystallizing from the inside out, his mouth frozen
47:26
in a silent scream. Doctor Hampton.
47:31
Captain Norton's voice came through the intercom mounted on
47:33
the wall. I need your full account now.
47:38
I looked up at the small camera in the corner of the ceiling.
47:42
Norton stood on the other side of the thick glass, her face
47:46
tight with concern. She wore her crisp captain's
47:49
uniform as always, but her usual commanding presence seemed
47:53
diminished by what I told her when I first arrived.
47:57
I don't know where to start, I said, my voice rough from
48:01
dehydration. Start from when you separated
48:04
from your team, Lopez says. You were alone when he picked
48:08
you up. I took a deep breath and closed
48:11
my eyes. The images came flooding back.
48:16
The temple, the crystal, the twisted reality I'd seen after
48:20
touching it. I opened my eyes again, afraid
48:24
that keeping them closed too long would pull me back there.
48:29
I went back to the central temple.
48:30
Alone, I admitted. I know it violated protocol, but
48:35
something about that crystal, it was calling to me when I touched
48:40
it the first time, it showed me something, a nightmare version
48:44
of our reality where everyone was transformed.
48:50
Norton's expression didn't change, but her posture
48:53
stiffened. After I came back from that
48:56
vision, I found the others. They were all.
49:01
My voice cracked. They were turning to stone,
49:04
Captain. Not stone.
49:06
Exactly the same crystalline material as the buildings.
49:10
It started from their centers and worked outward.
49:13
Their faces were frozen in terror, just like all those
49:17
statues we found throughout the ruins.
49:20
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees to stop the
49:24
trembling. The statues weren't decorative.
49:27
They were people. Visitors, maybe.
49:30
Researchers like us, who came before.
49:32
The entire city is a trap. Norton's eyes widened slightly.
49:38
A trap for what purpose? I think it's alive somehow.
49:44
The whole city, the layout from above.
49:47
I saw it clearly as we lifted off.
49:50
It's like a neural network, branching pathways connecting
49:53
central nodes. It's an Organism that evolved to
49:57
hunt intelligent species. It lures them in with mystery,
50:01
with artifacts that demand to be studied.
50:04
Then it preserves them, adds them to itself.
50:09
That's why Doctor Chen found those warning symbols.
50:12
I continued, the words tumbling out faster now.
50:17
Other visitors must have realized what was happening and
50:19
tried to warn anyone who came after, but we didn't understand
50:24
in time. Norton listened without
50:27
interrupting, her face growing paler as I spoke.
50:32
When I finally fell silent, she pressed a button on her tablet.
50:36
We're sending all your findings to Coalition headquarters
50:39
immediately, she said. I've already requested Altar as
50:44
Prime be marked as strictly prohibited for all future
50:47
expeditions. I nodded numbly.
50:51
I'd survived, but I knew I would never escape what I'd seen.
50:57
Jorge's body twisting as the crystallization spread through
51:00
him, Doctor Patel's eyes wide with the realization of what was
51:05
happening to her. Captain.
51:08
I said, a new thought forming. Don't you think it's strange
51:14
that we were sent there with so little information?
51:18
The mission parameters were unusually vague.
51:21
The briefing materials barely mentioned previous surveys.
51:26
Norton's expression tightened. What are you suggesting, Dr.
51:30
Hampton? I'm suggesting someone might
51:34
have known. Not everything, maybe, but
51:37
enough to be suspicious. That would explain why this
51:41
mission was shrouded in so much secrecy.
51:44
She didn't respond immediately. Which told me everything I
51:47
needed to know. I need to file my report, she
51:52
finally said. The medical team will be in
51:55
shortly to check your condition. Am I still in quarantine?
52:00
Standard procedure for another 24 hours.
52:04
We need to be certain you didn't bring anything back with you.
52:08
The intercom clicked off and Norton turned away.
52:12
I watched her walk down the corridor until she disappeared
52:15
from view. Through the viewport.
52:17
I moved to the window of the quarantine chamber.
52:20
Through it, I watched Altarre's prime shrink as the horizon
52:24
broke orbit. The planet looked peaceful from
52:27
space, no hint of the horror waiting on its surface.
52:31
The ruins would remain, the crystal still pulsing blue,
52:36
waiting for its next victim. How many research teams had met
52:40
this fate before? How many species across the
52:44
Galaxy had joined that collection of statues?
52:47
I pressed my palm against the viewport.
52:50
My team was down there forever, part of that ancient city, their
52:55
bodies transformed into crystalline monuments.
52:59
Despite the quarantine and growing distance between US and
53:02
the planet, I knew a part of me remained there, preserved in
53:07
that moment when I first understood what was happening.
53:11
The ruins of Altera's Prime would wait for the next
53:13
visitors. Despite Coalition warnings
53:16
someone would come, curiosity was too powerful to contain, the
53:22
city would add new statues to its collection.