Chapter 04: The Pull of the Unknown
The jagged walls of the crevasse loomed above them, casting long, eerie shadows that seemed to stretch and twist in the low gravity. Astrid and Leo were silent for a moment, both catching their breath and assessing their surroundings. The tremors hadn’t let up, though they were less intense now—almost as if the moon itself was breathing, exhaling slowly in a series of deep vibrations that echoed through the rock.
Astrid’s mind raced. The data they had gathered before the ground gave way had been startling. But now, cut off from their ship, they had nothing but their wits, their training, and a growing sense of unease to guide them through this.
“Do you think this is some kind of seismic event?” Astrid asked, her voice quieter than she intended.
Leo was inspecting his gravimeter, his brow furrowed as he analyzed the readings. “It doesn’t seem like any fault line I’ve ever seen,” he replied, more to himself than to her. “I mean, these fluctuations—this kind of irregularity—doesn’t make sense. It’s like the entire gravitational field of the moon is in flux. Whatever’s beneath us, it’s not just geological. It’s… different.”
The low gravity allowed them both to drift a few feet off the ground as they moved toward the edge of the chasm, scanning the walls for any signs of life or clues about what was happening below. Their bodies floated with ease, the lack of weight making every movement feel almost dreamlike, as if they were in a constant state of weightless suspension.
Astrid pushed off the surface, gliding toward a nearby rock formation. Her gloved hand brushed the rough surface, and she stared at the stone, wondering if there was something more to this strange phenomenon. There had been no signs of alien life on Veritas-IV. No history of such anomalies either. They were far from any known settlements, and yet… something was changing here. Something was alive.
“Do you feel that?” she asked suddenly, her voice tinged with a sense of realization. “Like something’s watching us?”
Leo turned, his eyes meeting hers across the chasm. There was something in the air—something invisible and heavy that seemed to tug at them both, a magnetic force drawing them in, pulling them closer. It wasn’t just the tremors. There was an almost palpable sense of presence in the air, a strange tension that neither of them could explain.
He didn’t answer at first, his expression thoughtful, but then he nodded slowly. “Yeah. I’ve been feeling it too. It’s… almost like the moon is trying to communicate with us.”
Astrid blinked. “You think it’s alive?”
“I don’t know,” Leo admitted, shaking his head. “But it sure feels like it. These fluctuations—this movement beneath the surface… it’s not natural. It’s like something’s… orchestrating it.”
They fell silent, both lost in thought. The more they uncovered, the deeper the mystery seemed to become. If there was life beneath the surface of Veritas-IV, what was it? And why had it remained hidden all this time?
Without warning, the ground beneath them trembled again, the vibrations growing stronger this time. The strange magnetic pull seemed to increase as well, as if the moon itself was reaching out, trying to draw them in. Astrid’s heart raced as she pushed off from the rock she had been leaning against. Something was changing, and whatever it was, it was about to make itself known.
“Leo,” she called, her voice tight with urgency. “We need to get back to the ship. This is escalating. Whatever’s down there… it’s not waiting any longer.”
Leo didn’t argue. He simply nodded and started to move in the direction of the airlock. But as they made their way toward the ship, the ground shook once more, this time with such force that it sent them both spiraling into the air, their bodies weightless, disoriented. They tumbled helplessly, unable to control their movements in the zero-gravity environment.
Astrid reached out, grabbing hold of a nearby rock to steady herself, but the pull of the moon was too strong. It was as if the very atmosphere around them had shifted, distorting gravity in unpredictable ways. Every movement was exaggerated, like floating through water, and the longer they remained suspended in the air, the more disoriented they became.
Finally, with a desperate lunge, Astrid managed to catch hold of a sturdy rock outcropping. She gritted her teeth as she steadied herself, heart pounding in her chest. Leo was close behind her, his hand gripping a different rock formation as he floated beside her.
“What the hell just happened?” he gasped, his face pale beneath his helmet.
“I don’t know,” Astrid replied, her voice tight. “But I think it’s trying to pull us down.”
They exchanged a look, both realizing the same thing at once: whatever was happening beneath the surface wasn’t just a natural disaster—it was something far more deliberate. And it was actively trying to draw them closer.
“We need to go now,” Astrid said, her voice grim. “Before whatever this is gets worse.”
But just as they started to push off toward the airlock again, the ground shook once more, even stronger than before. This time, the gravitational field of the moon flickered, briefly oscillating between low and high gravity, before everything went still.
Then, as if in response to their fear, a deep rumbling sound erupted from the very core of the moon—a sound so low and resonant that it seemed to vibrate in their chests. It was a warning. A call.
And then, as suddenly as it had begun, the gravity shifted again. Only this time, it was different.
With a final, heart-stopping jolt, Astrid and Leo were pulled from the rock formation they had been clinging to. They were hurled through the air, their bodies weightless once more, but this time, there was nowhere to land.
They were being pulled toward something far deeper than the surface. Something that had been lying dormant for millions of years.
A force that neither of them could understand.
Astrid’s eyes met Leo’s as they spiraled in the low gravity, their hearts racing in unison. She didn’t know what was going to happen next. But one thing was clear:
The moon was alive, and it was pulling them closer to its heart.
They were no longer just explorers. They were part of something much larger.
