[ON HOLD] Xorad ~PJM~

008: Scorpion 2042

"W-what are we supposed to do now?"
Mia asks, turning to you with fear-filled eyes. You kick the soil in frustration, gritting your teeth.

"This is my fault. I shouldn't have let them go so far alone, I should've-"

"Jiyoo, we need to find somewhere safe, now!"

Mia raises her voice, staring at you before placing her hand on your shoulder. You clamp down on your lower lip, trying to calm your jittery self down. Mia grabs hold of your helmet, turning yourself towards her helmet.

"This is not your fault. Sure, you may be captain but it doesn't mean every downfall rests upon your shoulders. I know how pussy those two could be in situations like this, so this shit is on their heads. We need to keep ourselves alive, Jiyoo."

Mia had never spoken to you in that way before, and you grab hold of yourself, pulling yourself together as the wheels in your head begin to turn.

"Right now, we need to get to anything human; the ship."
You say, and Mia nods, rubbing her palms together as her eyes dart around the area.

"We'll have to inform the headquarters back on Earth too. Let's go."

Not waiting for any other catastrophe, the two of you break out in a sprint, your weapons held ready in your hands as a map lights up on the inside of your helmet, guiding you back to the ship. Mia yelps, as she sees a figure dart across the two of you to the other side of the forest and you yell,

"Go, go, go! Don't stop!"

Your loud breaths resonate through each others microphones as you near the blinking dot in the map, an indication of where the ship was. Your heart jumps into your throat when a distorted shriek echoed through the forest and you hear Mia's trembling voice through your speaker as the ship now comes into view.

"Jiyoo, my oxygen level is dropping fast. I think it's punctured."

You glance over at her to see large gusts of air leaving the back of her suit and you reply,
"We're almost there, just hang on."

You stumble towards the ship, grabbing onto the latch and groaning as you struggle to open it. Mia grabs onto it, and her higher groans mix with yours as the latch finally turns and the hatch pops open.

The shriek you had heard resonated through the air once more, but this time it seemed as though it was right behind you. Your breath hitches as you push Mia in, before you feel something nip at your ankle, a stinging pain surging through your leg for a moment as you scream, closing your eyes and pulling the hatch shut and turning the latch in a hurry with all your force.

Mia and you slump down as you're now met with the deafening silence, a stark contrast to the pace of the events that led up to now. Your lungs burned from the exhausting sprint and fear, and Mia twists her helmet, throwing it onto the floor as you do the same.

Your pants now echoed in the ship as Mia stares at you, a layer of sweat coating her pale skin.

"What was that?"

You shake your head as your chest still heaves.
"I have no idea... but we do know that... we have caught its... attention."