The control room was suffocating with silence, broken only by the faint hum of damaged systems trying to reboot.
Hayes tore off his helmet, jaw clenched, eyes locked on Daniel. "Enough games. You're the reason they're here. That… thing in your chest is a beacon."
Daniel sat slumped against the wall, sweat streaking his face. His voice was raw. "I didn't ask for this. I don't even know what it is."
Okafor's gaze darted between them, panic bubbling under his words. "Doesn't matter if he asked. They came through solid steel for him. For us, this ship was supposed to be safe. Now it's not."
Marquez stood at the console, fingers trembling over the keys. "We can't finish repairs if they keep phasing through the hull. If they wanted us dead, we'd be gone already. Which means—" He stopped, eyes narrowing at Daniel. "Which means they want him alive."
---
The Fracture
Hayes slammed a fist onto the railing. "So what, we hand the kid over like an offering? That's not happening."
Okafor snapped back, fear finally turning sharp. "And what if keeping him here gets all of us killed? Maybe the only reason we're still breathing is because they haven't taken him yet."
Daniel looked up, eyes glassy. "If going outside with them keeps you safe—"
"Shut up," Hayes barked. "You're not leaving this ship."
But Daniel felt the crystal pulsing harder now, resonating with something beyond the hull. A pull. A call. He knew deep down: whether Hayes allowed it or not, he would be leaving.
---
The Shadow's Trail
Marquez's console flickered again, streams of alien symbols rolling across the screen. They resolved into coordinates—a pulsing marker not far from the ship, leading deeper into the Martian ridge.
Okafor pointed. "That's them. That's where they want him."
The crew exchanged uneasy glances.
Hayes exhaled slowly, steel in his voice. "We go nowhere until this ship is flight-ready. That's an order."
But Daniel whispered under his breath, unheard: "I can't wait that long."
The crystal beat like a second heart, and outside, the Martian wind began to rise.