Only 10 million miles left. Cree could see a hint of blue-green as the spaceship drew closer to Earth. Forty-eight hours without interference. After five years, it was so close he could taste it. He couldn’t help but be a little emotional.
“Something’s wrong,” Mateo said. Cree’s heart dropped.
“What do you see?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen it before, but it isn’t good.”
Cree’s grip tightened on the wheel. “Describe it.”
Mateo leaned forward, squinting at the scanner’s flickering display. “It’s not on the scanners, but I can see it. A shadow, twisting through the void. Dark tendrils reaching out, pulling at the fabric of space. I see twisted ships, floating dead and something ancient, hungry. Waiting. It’s not natural. It’s between us and Earth.”
Ruth, silent until now, spoke. “That vision of yours… the shadow with tendrils, I’ve seen it before.”
“What is it?” Cree asked.
“No time. It’s a long story. Follow my cue.”
Ruth pulled up her console, fingers flying. “Reroute auxiliary to the modulators. Emit a low frequency pulse, then kill the engines. Quick, before it latches on!”
Cree followed her directions, the ship going dark. He looked at Mateo, eyebrows raised.
“We’re through.”
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