Hayes's grip on Daniel's shoulder tightened until the younger man winced. "We're going back to the Odyssey. Now. That's an order."
Daniel's chest burned like fire. The crystal pulsed so hard it felt like it would burst through his ribs. He shook his head violently. "I can't. Don't you get it? I have to go down there. It's not a choice."
Hayes yanked him backward, dragging him away from the fissure. "The only choice here is whether you live or die, and I'm not letting you walk into hell."
---
The Breaking Point
Okafor stepped forward, voice sharp. "Hayes, stop! You saw what happened in the ship. The crystal is tied to this planet. If he resists it, maybe it kills him—or us."
Hayes rounded on him, fury blazing. "And if we follow him, it definitely kills us."
Marquez's tone was lower, steadier, but no less grim. "You don't know that. For all we know, this—" he gestured to the glowing fissure, to the shadows standing sentinel "—is the reason Mars drew us here. Fighting it may be worse than following it."
The shadows remained utterly still, patient as stone, as if waiting for the crew to decide.
---
Daniel's Stand
Daniel wrenched free of Hayes's grip, staggering toward the edge of the glowing stairway. His voice cracked as he shouted, "You can leave if you want—but I'm going down there. Alone if I have to."
The crystal's light spread in waves, illuminating the ridge in a ghostly glow. The ground beneath them rumbled again, as if the planet itself was listening.
Okafor whispered, "If he goes alone, he doesn't come back."
Marquez exhaled slowly, jaw tight. "Then we don't let him go alone."
---
The Line Drawn
Hayes's eyes darted between them, disbelief etched across his face. "You're siding with him? You'd rather chase alien phantoms than fight to get home?"
Neither Marquez nor Okafor answered. Their silence was answer enough.
For the first time since landing, Hayes looked less like a commander and more like a man outnumbered.
The fissure pulsed again, light deepening, the staircase stretching further into the abyss.
Daniel turned back to the others, face pale but eyes burning with certainty. "This is where it begins. With or without you."
The shadows shifted, and the wind stilled.
At last, Hayes muttered, voice like stone breaking: "God help us."
And together, they stepped toward the descent.