Containment Breach

The retrieval pod shuddered as it approached the ESC Vigilance. Through the small viewport, the orbital station loomed against the backdrop of stars—a massive structure of interconnected modules and docking arrays.

"Retrieval pod Alpha-3, this is ESC Vigilance Control," a voice crackled through the comm. "Prepare for automated docking sequence. Maintain comm silence until secured."

I glanced at the external camera feed showing the other two pods—Hermann and Celeste—following the same trajectory. Miles' pod was nowhere in sight.

The docking procedure was swift and mechanical. When the airlock finally cycled open, four figures in full biohazard gear greeted me. Their faces were obscured behind reflective visors.

"Exit the pod slowly," one instructed. "Keep your helmet sealed."

They led us through a series of airlocks into a large, circular room divided into three glass-walled compartments. Hermann, Celeste, and I were separated, each placed in our own cell.

"Remove your EVA suits," instructed a voice over the intercom. "Place all equipment in the disposal chute."

I followed protocol, stripping off the suit that had kept me alive on the lunar surface. The decontamination shower that followed was uncomfortably thorough. By the time it ended, my skin was raw but I felt marginally more human.

Commander Alex's voice came through the intercom: "DELTA survivors, preliminary quarantine protocol is complete. Medical examination will commence shortly."

"Where's Miles?" Hermann demanded, his voice carrying clearly between our compartments. "His pod was right behind us."

Silence answered him.

"Commander?" Celeste tried. "We need information on the status of the moon. The entity was creating some kind of transmission array."

More silence.

The door to the central observation area slid open. Commander Alex entered, flanked by two security officers and a woman in a lab coat.

"First," Alex began, "I want to acknowledge your ordeal. You've survived something unprecedented."

"Cut the diplomatic crap," Hermann interrupted. "Where's Miles? What happened to his pod?"

Alex's expression hardened. "Miles' pod veered off course approximately three minutes after launch. It re-entered lunar orbit and made an unscheduled landing near what used to be your base."

"He went back," Celeste whispered. "Or it took him back."

"And Ruby?" I asked.

"We assume she was with him," Alex replied. "The pod's beacon went offline shortly after landing."

Hermann leaned forward. "You need to tell us what you knew about that thing before you sent us there."

Alex exchanged glances with the woman in the lab coat, who gave a barely perceptible nod.

"The anomaly was first detected two years ago," Alex admitted. "A routine geological survey found unusual readings in the lunar regolith. The first research team reported strange dreams, then visual hallucinations. When they stopped reporting in, we sent a rescue team."

"Who also disappeared," I guessed.

"Not immediately," Alex corrected. "They managed to send back data. Patterns in the cave systems. Symbols that couldn't be translated."

"So you kept sending people," Hermann accused, his voice dangerously quiet. "Knowing they might not come back."

The woman in the lab coat stepped forward. "I'm Dr. Eliza Chen, xenobiology division. We believe the entity is ancient—possibly predating Earth's formation. The patterns you observed match theoretical models of non-carbon-based life."

"Life?" I echoed. "That thing isn't alive in any way we understand."

"Precisely," Dr. Chen agreed. "It exists outside our definition of life. It manipulates matter at the subatomic level. And based on your telemetry data, it's growing."

"Growing," Hermann repeated bitterly. "It's consuming the moon."

"Not consuming," Celeste interjected. "Transforming. Repurposing. The patterns we saw—they're forming a coherent network across the lunar surface."

Dr. Chen nodded. "Nearly 18% of the lunar surface now shows evidence of molecular restructuring."

"And you're just watching?" I asked incredulously.

"We've implemented a full quarantine of lunar space," Alex stated. "No vessels in or out except for authorized observation drones."

"Observation isn't enough," Hermann insisted. "You need to destroy it before it completes whatever it's building."

Dr. Chen cleared her throat. "The truth is, we don't know if we can destroy it. Conventional weapons might just give it more material to repurpose."

"So what's the plan?" I demanded.

"For now, to learn everything we can from you three," Alex replied. "You're the only ones who've encountered it directly and survived."

Celeste moved closer to her glass wall. "The resonance disruptor I developed—it had an effect. If we could scale that technology..."

"We're already analyzing the data from your suit recordings," Dr. Chen confirmed. "The counter-frequency approach shows promise."

A sudden alarm blared through the station, red warning lights flashing in the corridor outside. Alex's hand went to his earpiece.

"Report," he barked. His expression darkened as he listened. "Lock down the observatory deck. Full containment protocol. I'm on my way."

"What's happening?" I demanded as he headed for the door.

Alex paused. "Probably nothing. A sensor malfunction in the astronomical array."

But his posture told a different story—tension in every line of his body as he hurried from the room.

Through the glass walls of our containment cells, we could see increased activity in the corridors—personnel moving with urgency, security teams assembling.

Dr. Chen's tablet beeped with an incoming message. Her face paled as she read it.

"Doctor?" Celeste prompted.

"I need to check something," she said, moving quickly to a wall-mounted console.

"What is it?" I asked, pressing closer to the glass.

Dr. Chen stared at the screen, her professional demeanor cracking. "The observatory is detecting spatial distortions in lunar orbit, directly above the transformation zone."

"What kind of distortions?" Celeste asked.

"The fabric of space-time appears to be... folding," Dr. Chen replied. "As if something is pushing through from... somewhere else."

A chill ran through me. "The beacon. It's working."

"It's calling something," Hermann agreed. "And whatever it is, it's answering."

The station shuddered slightly, the lights flickering. The alarm changed tone, becoming more urgent.

"Station-wide emergency protocol initiated," announced an automated voice. "All personnel report to designated safety zones."

Dr. Chen's tablet chimed again. She glanced at it, then looked up at us with undisguised horror.

"Miles' pod," she said. "It's launching from the lunar surface."

"That's impossible," Celeste objected. "The retrieval pods don't have enough fuel for a return journey."

"According to these readings, it's not using conventional propulsion," Dr. Chen replied. "The pod is being carried by the spatial distortion itself."

The implications hit me like a physical blow. "It's coming here. The Voidhowler found a way off the moon."

Hermann slammed his fist against the glass wall. "You need to destroy that pod before it reaches the station!"

The station shuddered again, more violently this time. The lights went out completely, plunging us into darkness for several seconds before emergency lighting activated, bathing everything in an eerie red glow.

The door to the observation area slid open. Commander Alex stood there, his face ashen.

"It's here," he said simply.

"The pod?" Hermann asked.

Alex shook his head. "Not just the pod. Something... came with it. We've lost contact with Docking Bay 7. Security teams reported seeing Miles, Dennis, and Ruby. Walking together. But not... not right."

Dr. Chen moved to the quarantine cell controls. "We need to release them. They've encountered this entity before. They might know how to fight it."

"No!" Alex objected. "Quarantine protocol—"

"Screw the protocol!" Dr. Chen snapped. "That thing is already inside the station."

The glass doors to our containment cells slid open. I stepped out cautiously, half-expecting alarms to blare.

"What weapons do you have on board?" Hermann asked immediately.

"Standard security arsenal," Alex replied. "Sidearms, stun batons."

"Won't be enough," Hermann said grimly.

Celeste turned to Dr. Chen. "The resonance disruptor I used—do you have the specifications?"

"Better," Dr. Chen replied, moving to a storage locker. "We replicated the design based on your suit recordings."

She removed what looked like a bulky rifle with an unusual emitter array. "Theoretical range of twenty meters. Power for approximately six discharges before the cells need replacing."

As we prepared to leave the relative safety of the quarantine section, Dr. Chen handed each of us a small device. "Emergency beacons. If we get separated, these will help us find each other."

"Stay together," Hermann instructed as Alex cycled the door open. "And remember, whatever we see out there, whatever it looks like—it's not human anymore."

The Voidhowler had reached the station. And we were the only ones who knew how to fight it.