LUCY
T he capsule shuddered violently around me, and I gripped my harness tighter.
My stomach lurched as we breached Sanos’ atmosphere.
Stars whirled past the viewports, blurring into streaks of light.
Sarah’s face flashed through my mind---her last moments as the poisoned water claimed her.
I squeezed my eyes shut against the memory, but it came anyway.
Her desperate gasp for air, fingers clawing at her throat as the toxins.
.
.
Years of sleep in the stasis pod had done nothing to blur the memory.
Focus on this moment.
Focus on the mission at hand.
“Breach in thirty seconds,” Brooke called out from the pilot’s seat, her voice steady despite the violent descent.
I forced my eyes open, taking in the rest of my team.
Emme’s knuckles turned white on her harness straps.
Imogen’s face set in grim determination, her lips pressed together in a tight line.
“Remember your training, ladies,” Brooke said, projecting calm authority even as the capsule jolted again.
“We’ve prepared for this.”
“But now it’s all very, very real,” Emme muttered, her voice low but audible over the hum of the engines.
Her gaze darted to the viewport.
“There’s a lot of pressure on us.”
“Better than dying on Earth,” Brooke shot back without looking away from her controls.
“Look.”
Through the viewport, an endless expanse of blue stretched below us.
Not the sickly green-brown of Earth’s dying oceans, but pure, crystalline blue that sparkled under alien sunlight.
Islands dotted the horizon, their white beaches gleaming like pearls.
The pristine alien world below us left me breathless with awe.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.
“Let’s hope the locals are friendly,” Imogen added dryly.
The capsule jerked again as we hit the lower atmosphere.
Warning lights flashed across the control panel.
“Hang on!” Brooke shouted.
“This is gonna get bumpy!”
I tightened my grip on the harness straps as the capsule plunged through dense clouds, the pristine ocean rushing up to meet us.
I started humming under my breath---an old lullaby my sister used to sing to me.
The others pretended not to notice.
We hit the water with a bone-jarring splash, the impact slamming us against our restraints.
The capsule bobbed like a cork for several heart-stopping moments before stabilizing.
My hands trembled as I released the harness.
“Systems check,” Brooke ordered, her voice clipped as her fingers flew over the controls.
Her calm demeanor steadied me, anchoring the rising panic in my chest.
“Life support?” Brooke asked.
“Green,” Emme reported, her voice shakier than Brooke’s.
“Communications?”
“Linked to the Legacy,” I confirmed, double-checking my readouts.
“They’re receiving.”
“Hull integrity?” Brooke continued, her focus laser-sharp.
“Intact,” Imogen said.
“No breaches detected.”
Brooke nodded, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she swiveled to face us.
“All right, ladies. Time to suit up. Let’s make first contact count.”
We helped each other into our survival suits---sleek gray material that hugged every curve while offering protection from unknown toxins or bacteria.
The blue seams pulsed softly as the solar chargers activated, their faint glow a reminder of the energy we carried with us.
“Check your comms,” Brooke ordered, activating her helmet’s sealed system.
One by one, their voices came through loud and clear on the internal channel.
“Ready to pop the hatch?” Brooke asked, her hand hovering over the release.
I nodded, double-checking my utility belt.
Knife, filtration device, emergency beacon---everything secure.
“On three. One...”
“Two...” the others joined in.
“Three.”
The hatch opened with a hiss of equalizing pressure.
Warm, salty air rushed in, carrying the scent of the ocean and something faintly floral.
I inhaled deeply, the air so pure it almost hurt, a stark contrast to the stale, metallic tang of the air onboard the Legacy.
The ocean lapped gently at the capsule’s sides, the water so clear I could see straight to the sandy bottom.
Brooke checked the depth readings.
“Shallow water,” she observed.
“We can wade to shore.”
I took point, easing myself down the short ladder into the crystal-clear water.
It came up to my thighs, pleasantly warm even through the suit.
A strange, metallic tang, similar to ozone after a lightning strike, hung faintly in the air beneath the floral scent.
The sandy bottom was firm beneath my boots, and faint ripples spread out with every step.
Something flickered at the periphery of my vision---a flash of scales beneath the surface?
I spun quickly, but saw only the shifting light patterns on the water.
Adrenaline surged through me as I caught the flicker of movement again.
“You okay?” Emme asked as she splashed down beside me.
“Fine,” I said quickly, shaking my head.
“Just jumpy.”
Force of habit from years of preparation for this mission.
Before launch, I’d trained extensively in hostile environments, learning to adapt to whatever challenges an alien world might throw at us.
We were selected for our scientific expertise and ability to survive the unknown.
We formed a tight group as we waded toward the shore about fifty meters away.
White sand gleamed ahead, leading up to dense vegetation in shades of deep blue-green.
The sight of it stirred something in me---a sense of hope I hadn’t dared to feel in years.
A glint caught my eye---something half-buried in the sand near my feet.
I reached down and retrieved an object resembling a shell, though unlike any I’d seen before.
It had an odd weight to it, and the subtle patterns on its surface seemed to shift and change as I turned it.
“What is that?” Imogen asked, her helmet tilting slightly as she peered at it.
“Not sure,” I replied, slipping it into my belt pouch.
“Might be useful for the scientists to study.”
The hairs on my neck prickled.
That feeling of being observed intensified, the weight of unseen eyes pressing against my skin.
I scanned the water around us, but saw nothing except the gentle waves and our own ripples.
“Let’s get to shore,” Brooke said, her voice calm but firm.
“Stay alert, everyone.”
As we trudged through the shallows, the feeling didn’t fade.
If anything, it grew stronger, sinking deep into my bones.
Somewhere out there, hidden beneath these alien waves, someone---or something---was watching us.
And as we neared the shore, I noticed movement in the distance.
Figures emerged from the foliage, humanoid but not human.
Their scales glistened in the sunlight, a mosaic of blues and greens that shifted with each step.
I watched in amazement as they approached, their movements fluid and graceful.
Brooke stepped forward to meet them, her posture steady, every inch the leader.
The figures stopped a few paces from us, their black eyes studying us with an intensity that made my chest tight.
One of them raised a hand, gesturing for us to follow.
“Let’s go,” Brooke said quietly, throwing a glance over her shoulder at the rest of us.
“This is it.”
As we followed them toward the jungle, I couldn’t shake the feeling that our arrival hadn’t just been noticed---it had been anticipated.
And somewhere, deep beneath the surface, something far larger than us was already in motion.