Chapter 1 Prologue: Betrayal

• Everyone is already panicking and in turmoil; the communication line get filled with yelling. One by one, he saw it clearly, how the black hole sucking every one of his teammates.
• “Henry!” the last shout he heard before losing the last one who didn’t make it go away from it.
• He gulped as he looked back at the few remaining ones.
• “C-Captain, that is already more than half of our team.”
• He stared at them worriedly. They—He is just risking his men’s lives. “We are going back home now. Let us withdraw from this mission.” He decided.
• As their spaceship turned around, it has barely moved away from the place. The force is still strong even at the distance of miles away.
• “How about them—”
• “We can’t do anything about that anymore, Euvy. We will just lose everyone if we proceed with this,” he explained to the woman near him.
• “Henry, they have families waiting for them!”
• “So are we!” his voice roared, making everyone silent.
• “We are going home now. No more buts. That is an order!”
• He looked away as they looked at him, both in dismay and hopelessness. He refrained himself to show no hope, though it is so obvious.
• “This is Captain Henry—” He was stopped when the line purposely cut off from their main Space Administration Office.
• “What was that?!” one of them asked hysterically, throwing them a questioning look.
• “We will be going home whether they approve it or not!” he commanded and sat down on his seat, leading their leave.
• “Captain, look at this, there appears to be a barrier around Earth. We can’t detect any of our satellites to connect us with them!”
• “That can’t be! Henry, that is ridiculous! They can’t do that to us!”
• For the first time, he has found no words to calm them. He, himself, doesn’t know what is happening, either!
• “Just keep contacting them!” he yelled to stop them from buzzing around.
• As they plunged towards Earth, it took them almost no courage at all to leave. If not for his order, he knows there will be more casualties to happen.
• “Captain…” his subordinate uttered as he pointed at the monitor. “We can’t go home.”
• He shut his eyes in frustration and calmed down himself not to make decisions hastily.
• “So this is what they have really planned since from the start.” He clenched his fist and glanced again at the monitor.
• “We can’t die here, Captain. We have to do something!”
• He turned off his communication device, giving himself a little time to think. Whether they go on with the mission, stay or insist on going back home, all of it is leading them to only one outcome—they will die.
• He switched on his line, but only to get deafened by the commotion.
• “Captain!”
• “Sir, we need your order now!”
• “Henry!”
• He was about to give his command when their spaceship had already reached the perimeter, of which they should not trespass.
• The next thing he heard was that the spaceship’s system has already given them a notice and started to count down.
• ‘SELF-DESTRUCTION INITIATED. THE SPACESHIP IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE IN THIRTY SECONDS.’