The silence after the cloaked vision was crushing. None of them spoke for long minutes, each breath heavy with the realization that something ancient had seen them, measured them, and chosen not to strike—yet.
Hayes finally broke the silence, his voice iron steady despite the tremor underneath. "We move. Standing still makes us targets. Those towers are the only structures we've seen—they'll lead somewhere."
The crew fell into a tight formation, their helmet lamps casting weak cones of light across the endless plain. The soil beneath their boots was soft and humming, like walking on the skin of a sleeping beast.
Daniel stayed close to Dr. Okafor, his heart racing. He wanted to ask questions—What was that voice? Who was the cloaked figure? Why them?—but the words wouldn't come. They pressed on in silence.
---
The Towers
As they drew closer, the towers loomed taller than they'd first appeared. Jagged spires, each one carved with runes that shifted subtly when you weren't looking directly at them. Their glow pulsed in rhythm, like a path marked by a giant's heartbeat.
Dr. Marquez ran her scanners, but the readings were nonsense. "It's like the instruments can't decide if these are matter or energy. They… phase between states."
"Stop thinking like a scientist," Okafor muttered, though his voice shook. "This isn't physics. It's something older."
The path of towers drew them onward, until the air itself began to thrum with power. A faint wind stirred, though no sky above them showed signs of motion. The plain was waking.
---
The Gateway
After what felt like hours, the towers converged on a structure unlike the others: a massive circular dais, etched with sigils identical to the crystal's. The air shimmered above it, faint waves of distortion bending the stars.
Daniel froze. "Another portal…"
Hayes approached cautiously, his visor reflecting the glow. "If it works like the last one, this could be our way out."
Marquez circled the dais, scanning. "The energy signature matches the first gate. But this one's tuned differently. The destination…" She swallowed. "…I think it leads home."
For the first time since their fall, hope flared in Daniel's chest. "Earth?"
"Possibly," Marquez said. "Or something that looks like it."
Okafor frowned. "We can't trust it. What if it sends us somewhere worse? Another trap?"
Hayes shook his head. "We don't have the luxury to hesitate. Mars is gone to us. Staying here isn't survival. We take the chance."
---
The Choice
The crystal in Daniel's pack began to pulse again, brighter now, as though it agreed. Its glow spilled across the dais, activating the sigils until they blazed with fierce blue light.
The ground trembled. The distortion above the platform thickened, warping into a swirling vortex of fire and shadow. For a moment, Daniel swore he could see Earth within it—the curve of oceans, the shimmer of clouds.
Hayes drew a long breath. "We go together. On my mark."
The crew formed a line, hearts pounding as the vortex crackled like a storm. The humming of the towers rose to a deafening crescendo.
"One," Hayes said.
The air grew hotter, pulling at their suits.
"Two."
Daniel clenched his fists, every nerve screaming with fear and anticipation.
"Three!"
They charged as one into the light.
---
Return
The sensation was worse than before—falling without falling, burning without fire, weightless yet crushed by invisible gravity. Daniel screamed, though no sound left his throat.
Then—impact.
He hit solid ground, the air rushing back into his lungs.
When his vision cleared, he blinked hard against the sudden brightness. Blue sky. Real sky. Clouds drifting lazily overhead. A horizon of green. Trees. Mountains.
Earth.
The others appeared beside him one by one, dazed but alive. Hayes staggered upright, scanning the horizon. "We made it," he breathed. "We're back."
Daniel let out a shaky laugh. "We're home…"
But the relief was short-lived.
Because the crystal in his pack pulsed again—faster, harder than ever before.
And on the distant horizon, the sky itself rippled… as though something had followed them through.