Beneath The Surface

In 2025, the Mars mission Artemis-12 was hailed as humanity’s greatest leap. The crew of four seasoned astronauts were tasked with exploring a new crater, one that appeared mysteriously just months before their arrival. Dubbed Crater Theta, it was massive, ominous, and remarkably symmetrical—a phenomenon that had astrobiologists and planetary geologists on edge.

Commander Eli Morrison led the expedition, flanked by Dr. Zoe Park, the mission's astrobiologist, engineer Leo Hughes, and navigator Mira Chen. As they descended into the depths of Crater Theta, an eerie silence swallowed them whole. No wind, no echo—just an oppressive stillness.

The walls of the crater were smooth, polished even, unlike any other formations they'd seen on Mars. Tiny fragments of an unknown metallic compound glistened, embedded in the walls. Dr. Park ran a scan on a shard, her face paling as she read the analysis.

"This isn’t natural," she whispered over the comms. "It's manufactured."

"Manufactured?" Hughes scoffed, though his voice quivered. "By who? We’re the first life on Mars."

Commander Morrison signaled for quiet, his eyes fixed on the peculiar grooves lining the crater’s walls. They weren’t random; they looked like letters—like an alien script, pulsing faintly under the dim Martian light.

“Let’s go deeper,” Morrison decided, overriding their initial mission protocols. “This place... it was waiting for us.”

They descended further into the crater, each step taking them closer to a surreal, almost hypnotic hum that seemed to resonate from the rock itself. The sound was rhythmic, like a heartbeat—a Martian heartbeat.

"Commander, I’m picking up movement," Chen said, staring at her scanner. "It’s... coming from below us."

As they pressed on, they came upon an immense, polished metal door embedded in the crater’s base, covered in the same strange symbols. It was cold to the touch, yet it radiated energy. Dr. Park raised her scanner, trying to decode the symbols, but every attempt resulted in static.

"Let's get a closer look," Morrison said, motioning for Hughes to try and open the door. But before Hughes could reach it, the ground began to rumble.

The door slowly creaked open, as if welcoming them.

Beyond the door lay a cavernous chamber, walls lined with what looked like capsules—hundreds of them, tall and translucent, each holding a figure shrouded in a blue mist. They weren't human, but their forms were eerily familiar: humanoid, tall, and slender, with elongated limbs and faces hidden under dark helmets.

"Are they... alive?" whispered Chen, her voice trembling.

Dr. Park reached out, her gloved hand hovering near one of the capsules. The creature’s faceplate cleared, revealing hollow, empty eyes staring back at her. The eyes were wide open, yet lifeless, as if frozen in time.

"These are cryopods," Park realized aloud. "They're in some sort of stasis… waiting."

"But for what?" Morrison demanded, backing away.

Suddenly, a shudder rippled through the ground, and the door behind them slammed shut with a deafening clang. The hum intensified, rising to an almost deafening roar.

In a panic, Hughes tried his comms. "Base camp, do you copy? We're trapped in Crater Theta. Requesting immediate—" But his voice was drowned out by static.

Lights along the walls began to flicker, illuminating the room in an eerie, pulsating glow. A low, droning voice echoed around them, not spoken in words but resonating directly within their minds.

“We... awaken... now.”

The capsules began to open, releasing a thick, hazy mist that filled the chamber. The figures within stirred, their limbs stretching as if shaking off centuries of slumber. One by one, the creatures stepped out, silent and purposeful, each fixating their hollow eyes on the astronauts.

Morrison raised his hand, trying to signal peace, but his gesture was met with a cold stare. "We come in peace," he attempted, his voice barely steady.

The lead figure tilted its head, as though considering his words. Then, it reached out, and with a single touch to Morrison’s helmet, his entire suit seized up. He froze, his face contorted in terror as he stood immobilized.

The creature leaned closer, whispering in a language that reverberated inside the astronauts’ minds: “You were not meant to find us.”

The remaining astronauts backed away, watching helplessly as Morrison’s suit crumpled under the creature’s grip, like paper beneath a fist. His body hit the ground with a sickening thud, lifeless.

Hughes scrambled toward the walls, searching for any exit, any escape. "We need to get out of here! Now!"

The creatures began to close in, their movements slow but relentless. Each step they took seemed to drain the air, suffocating the humans within the room.

Desperate, Chen pulled out a flare, igniting it in one last attempt to signal for help. The bright red light reflected off the creatures’ hollow eyes, revealing an ancient rage.

Dr. Park glanced around, her mind racing. "The script on the wall... it looks like instructions," she said, hoping to decipher some hint of salvation.

But it was too late. One by one, the creatures reached for each of them, silencing their breaths, extinguishing their lives.

Outside, the Martian winds howled as Crater Theta returned to its silence. And deep within, the ancient beings reclaimed their slumber, waiting once more—for the next visitors.