2025-04-18 10:50:48POV: Danny
The pain came before consciousness. A throbbing stab in my temples that made me groan even before opening my eyes.
The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, mixing with the acidic taste of dried vomit at the corner of my lips.
"Finally."
Lena's voice came from somewhere to my right. Instinctively, I turned my head, which was also extremely painful. I tried to focus on her, but my vision was still filled with pulsating red spots.
"How long?" My voice came out weak and hoarse, causing Lena to frown.
"Eighteen hours, forty-three minutes." She leaned forward, her cold fingers touching my wrist. "You had three seizures. The team wanted to induce a coma, but I..."
"You stopped them."
She didn’t respond, just pressed her fingers a little harder against my skin. Her touch was firm, professional, but there was something else there—a hesitation that had never been there before.
"You're not wearing PPE."
Lena smiled, a small, slightly sarcastic gesture.
"Observant as always, Commander."
"It’s suicide. If it’s contagious—"
"We're all exposed, Danny." She looked at the watch on my wrist, where the hands remained frozen at 4:23. "Since day one."
The silence that followed was broken by the sound of the door sliding open. Raj appeared at the threshold, his pale face under the fluorescent lights.
"Lena, the air filters—" He froze when he saw us, his eyes bouncing between us. "Oh... Sorry. I can... come back later."
"Stop being pathetic, Raj." Lena didn't take her hand off my wrist. "Report."
Raj swallowed, his fingers tapping on the datapad.
"The filters are compromised. Crystals are forming in the pipes. The same patterns we saw in the Helium-3 samples."
"I see. So apparently Jun was right about—"
"Jun's crazy!" Raj exploded, his usual composure breaking. "He's in the infirmary talking about music and worms and..."
He didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, he let out a long sigh of regret.
"And what else, Raj?" I forced myself to sit up, ignoring the wave of nausea. "What else is he saying?"
Raj looked at Lena, seeking permission. She gave a small nod.
"He... he talks about you, Commander. He says you can hear it too. That Kovac chose him because of it."
"I have synesthesia."
Lena didn’t react as if it were news. Raj raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Well, Jun doesn’t. So that doesn’t make sense. What did he mean, Danny?"
. . .
THREE YEARS AGO
Kovac’s apartment was an organized chaos—piles of yellowed books, equipment parts scattered across the tables, a permanent smell of burnt coffee and cheap tobacco. Nothing like the luxurious quarters offered to him as a national hero.
"Do you know why you're here, kid?" Kovac poured two fingers of vodka into dirty glasses, pushing one toward me.
"Because I see what others don’t."
He laughed, a harsh sound that ended in a cough.
"Because you’re the only idiot stupid enough to admit it." His blue eyes fixed on me. "The last Great Hero found me scavenging for scraps in trash heaps. I was twelve, thin as a pole, and had more lice than hair."
He spun the glass, the light reflecting off the cheap liquid.
"Do you know what he told me?"
I shook my head.
"You’re going to die here, kid. Or you can come die with me, but in a way that’s worth it." Kovac took a sip, making a face. "He gave me a choice. I’m giving you one now."
I reached out, covering his hand with mine.
"I’ll never disappoint you."
He turned his palm up, holding my hand the way a father would hold a child before letting them go.
"I know."
. . .
The lab door slid open again.
And this time, it was Jun himself standing in the doorway.
He had changed. His hair, once carefully combed, was now disheveled. His eyes, once a normal brown, now gleamed with a familiar blue, the same shade as Helium-3 under the moonlight.
"You hear it too, don’t you, Commander?" His voice was very calm. "The music is getting louder."
Lena moved in front of me, her slender body blocking my view of Jun.
"You should be resting."
"I have been." Jun laughed, and the sound made my teeth hurt. "Now I understand. Piotr tried to warn us. The kid appears in my dreams every night." His gaze fixed on me over Lena’s shoulder. "But you already know, don’t you, Danny? You’ve always known."
The watch on my wrist seemed to pulse and...
This time, I heard it.
A distorted melody, notes that shouldn’t exist, harmonies that hurt the ears. The same music I had heard when Kovac gave me the watch.
"What is that?" Raj asked, his face pale. "What is he talking about?"
But I already knew.
And by the seriousness in her eyes, Lena knew too.
Helium-3 wasn’t just a mineral.
It was something alive.
And it was calling us.
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Chapter 05
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Chapter 04
POV: DannyThe pain came before consciousness. A throbbing stab in my temples that made me groan even before opening my eyes. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, mixing with the acidic taste of dried vomit at the corner of my lips."Finally."Lena's voice came from somewhere to my right. Instinctively, I turned my head, which was also extremely painful. I tried to focus on her, but my vision was still filled with pulsating red spots."How long?" My voice came out weak and hoarse, causing Lena to frown."Eighteen hours, forty-three minutes." She leaned forward, her cold fingers touching my wrist. "You had three seizures. The team wanted to induce a coma, but I...""You stopped them."She didn’t respond, just pressed her fingers a little harder against my skin. Her touch was firm, professional, but there was something else there—a hesitation that had never been there before."You're not wearing PPE."Lena smiled, a small, slightly sarcastic gesture."Observant as always, Comma
Chapter 03
POV: DannyThe red shapes appear in my vision again.Danger.I blink to push them away, but it doesn't help.Alyssa insists:“Danny.”The nervousness, the disjointed information, and that damn feeling of not knowing what's happening quickly turn into anger.“It’s Commander to you,” I snapped.Jun flinches, but Alyssa merely lifts her chin slightly, as if trying hard not to insult me right then and there.“Very well. Commander,” she says my title with a slight tone of mockery, “what the hell is going on with this mission?”I glance at the clock. I take a deep breath.“Kovac sent me here not just because of my skills.”“What do you mean by that?”I feel my eyes burn with the tears that threaten to roll down my face.“He came to my house. That’s when he gave me this.” I point to the watch....TWO WEEKS BEFOREI look at the object in my hand. It’s a simple, analog watch, and apparently quite worn. Kovac, sitting across from me on the couch, says nothing as I carefully inspect it.Traces
Chapter 02
POV: Danny“My father didn’t want this.”Piotr’s voice still echoes in my ears, so real that for a crazy moment I turn my head, looking for him in the dark room.“I swear my father didn’t want this.”My fingers find the watch on my wrist - 4:23, always 4:23 - while the last image from the dream is still vivid in my mind: Piotr standing in the middle of the lunar base, his NCEA uniform soaked in blood, pointing to the walls that were dripping bright red.“Even if he didn’t want to, you’re seeing it now, aren’t you, Danny?” he had said in the dream, with a sad smile that didn’t match his bright blue eyes. “You’re seeing what he did?”I rub my face hard, trying to erase the image, and my hand comes away stained with red. A damn nosebleed. And in a concerning amount.“Shit, shit, shit.”I’m trying to clean the mess discreetly on the sheet when I hear deafening screams.“NO! NO, TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT OFF!”Raj.My heart races before my brain even processes what’s happening. I jump out of be
Chapter 01
POV: Danny“Suit checked, systems green,” the technical voice echoes through the platform speakers.I stand on the walkway leading to the Helix-7, the flight suit heavy on my shoulders, Piotr’s watch hidden beneath my sleeve.Launch day had finally arrived.The team buzzes around me. Raj checking the last bits of navigation data, Alyssa adjusting the comms systems, Dr. Jun holding his biological samples.And then I see him.Kovac crosses the yard like a ship cutting through waves, the technicians parting to let him pass. His dress uniform is immaculate, but there’s something different today—a tension in his shoulders that wasn’t there before.“Great Hero,” I greet, saluting.He skips protocol and walks straight to me, lifting his hands to adjust my helmet with precise movements. His fingers are cold against the back of my neck.“You ready?” my mentor asks, just low enough for me to hear.More than ever, I want to say something meaningful, something worthy of the moment. But all that c
