✨DISCLAIMER: this is a fanfic As he neared the island, the water darkened and deepened, and a terrifying roar echoed through the water. He got to the beach with 20 minutes left. He noticed a large cave in the mountainside to the right, and the land was sandy with a few rocks scattered about. Strange bulbous trees were clumped together in small forests. He took his knife and sliced one, its nutritious fruit falling to the ground. He put it into his increasingly full pack for later. As he rounded a corner and went around a big mound of rock, he stopped and looked up at the structure before him. A long corridor was attached to the island, its walls containing pulsing vein-like strands. Out in the water, a huge base supported a tower of alien metal hundreds of meters tall. The corridor that connected to the land had a doorway, but a green forcefield blocked entry. A strange terminal was outside the building. A scan revealed it to be some sort of lock. An ancient broken tablet lay on the ground next to the terminal. The scan said that it was the key, but it was broken, so he set out to find another one. A hill above the door had one on the ground. He picked it up and walked back to the door, inserting it into the terminal. The forcefield flickered on and off before turning off completely. He walked through the halls, feeling the pulsing of the green wires under his hand. He got to a room with no other exits except for a huge drop. After determining that there were no other ways to go, he solemnly began to walk back towards the entrance. He was promptly swept off his feet and began sliding towards the pit. He grabbed the lip of the hole and held on for dear life as the pit’s strange green swirls kept tugging at him. With one last wrenching tug, he was pulled into the pit. Ryley opened his eyes when he realized he was not falling. The green mist was keeping him afloat. He breathed a sigh of relief and tried to reach for the lip of the pit in an attempt to escape. The mist dissipated, dropping him at high speeds towards the bottom. When he saw the bottom, a solid floor, he knew what fate awaited him. All this Time on this planet, and he was going to die? He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. His stomach shot into his throat as he stopped one foot off the ground. He opened his eyes, realizing he was alive, and shouted a victory cry before the mist shot him face first onto the hard floor. He groaned as he pulled himself off of the ground. In front of him was a huge moonpool, big enough to fit one of the Aurora’s engines. He headed to the door to the right. A huge staircase descended into the depths of the building, spiraling out of sight. At the bottom, a big room with a console was to the left, and to the right was a room with a large arch-like structure. He reached out his hand to touch the console. A miniature forcefield suspended his hand in place. He tugged hard, fighting to overcome his panic. A large needle appeared out of the console and stabbed his hand. It retracted and a strange gurgling noise came from the console. The PDA translated: (Warning! Infected individuals may not shut down the enforcement platform. This planet is under quarantine.) He pulled away from the console, grabbing his injured hand. He checked the timer on his HUD. He gasped, darting back the way he came. He got out of the building with no more mishaps. The timer was at 1 minute. He could see the sunbeam emerging through the atmosphere. His PDA crackled. “We see you, survivor!” Avery’s voice said from within the device. A loud, rumbling noise came from the building. The tower was getting taller, and it was turning towards the sunbeam. It stopped when it locked onto the ship. “What? There’s a building down there?” Avery’s voice said. Everything suddenly clicked. The tower moving, the green veins, the Aurora...No…no! He had to warn them. “A red spike!?” Avery’s voice sounded panicked. “From the planet!?” The tower emitted a strong green glow. A massive beam of green energy shot out from the tower, which Ryley now knew was a gun. It struck the sunbeam, creating a massive explosion. Green arcs of lightning shot through the falling wreckage. Pieces of the ship smashed into the ocean below, creating huge waves on the once calm sea. Ryley swam home in silence. The echoing roars were no longer a worry. He was stranded. He knew any other ships that would come to his aid would only be shot down and it would be his fault they died. He couldn’t turn off the weapon, since he was an “infected individual.” He pondered that for a moment, wondering what disease he was infected with. He shook his head, as if it would clear his mind. He bumped into his pod, not even realizing he was home. As night fell, he climbed the ladder and sat on top of his pod. Looking out over the world, the quiet lapping of waves against the pod, the beautiful bioluminescence...it was all so serene. Yes, he thought, smiling. I’ll be fine here.
