The silence after Jack’s words hung in the thin Martian air. The group stood still, their visors reflecting the mountain’s impossible breadth, their hearts heavy with the knowledge that Olympus Mons wasn’t just a monument of nature—it was a reminder that Mars had secrets still locked away.But Jack didn’t let them linger too long.“Come,” he said, turning back down the ridge. “Olympus is only one face of Mars. There’s more you need to see.”They followed him, boots crunching softly against the red dust. Their steps carried them back toward the slope, where a sleek silhouette waited in the distance—a gleaming vehicle crouched like a dragon of chrome and obsidian. Its body was sculpted into aerodynamic lines, shimmering faintly under the stars. Its wheels were like orbs rather than tires, hovering just a breath above the ground, leaving no tracks behind.Jackson blinked. “That… is that a car?”Jack’s visor tilted toward his son. “Not just a car. The DragonGP. Built to travel where no ro

The DragonGP slid across the Martian plain, its hum low and steady, like the purr of some great beast perfectly at ease in its own domain. Dust veiled the stars above, but the glow ahead remained unyielding—brighter now, bleeding into the horizon as though something beneath the planet’s skin was trying to break free.Inside the cabin, no one spoke for a long time. Each of them sat locked in their own silence, eyes fixed forward. Jackson clutched his wrist-com, fingers twitching with the urge to snap another photo, but even he hesitated this time.At last, Ryan broke it. His voice was rough, low. “Jack… how far are we going? Because this—this feels like stepping off the map.”Jack didn’t take his eyes off the horizon. His voice came steady, unwavering. “That’s because we are. Science hasn’t touched this place. No probe, no rover, no satellite has mapped what lies here. Every meter we travel now, we’re charting for the first time in human history.”Emily shifted in her seat, her fingers

The red-eyed swarm tightened. Their shrieks rattled the cavern walls, their claws hammering against the DragonGP’s failing shield. The air itself seemed to quake under the pressure.Jack’s jaw clenched. The dagger’s case pulsed faintly, its hum alive, as though it too sensed what was coming.With one sharp motion, he unlatched the case and drew it.The dragon dagger slid free, its blade aglow with an otherworldly brilliance—light that wasn’t light, sound that wasn’t sound. The humming deepened until every ribcage in the DragonGP seemed to vibrate with its song. Sparks of energy crackled along its edges like chained lightning.Emily gasped. “God… it’s glowing—”Sarah’s voice broke into a whisper. “No… it’s answering.”Jack didn’t hesitate. He thrust the dagger toward the swarm, the blade catching every red eye in its reflection, and then he moved.The DragonGP’s hatch hissed open.“Jack—wait!” Ryan shouted, ripping free of his harness. “You’re not going alone!”Jack didn’t even glance

The DragonGP glided deeper into the Martian underworld, its repulsors humming in a steady rhythm that almost felt like a heartbeat. The dust storm outside was finally thinning, replaced by crystalline tunnels glowing faintly with veins of blue and amber light. It was alien, yet strangely beautiful—like the planet itself was alive, breathing around them.Inside, the cabin was thick with silence. Ryan’s shallow breaths hissed through the cracked mask, Sarah’s hands never leaving his chest as she checked the seals again and again. Lena held the medical scanner over him, biting her lip, waiting for numbers that didn’t improve.Matilda sat curled on Emily’s lap, her wide eyes fixed on her father at the controls. She hadn’t let go of his arm since he’d returned with Ryan on his shoulders. Jackson had set his camera aside, but his gaze never left Jack either.It was Jackson who finally broke the silence.“Half an hour ago…” He shook his head, voice hushed, awed. “Half an hour ago there were

The DragonGP’s engines hummed low, carrying them deeper through the violet-lit tunnels that seemed to breathe with their own rhythm. The dagger on Jack’s hip pulsed in steady intervals, faint but undeniable, like it too recognized what lay ahead. The silence stretched—thick, tense—until Jackson finally leaned forward, his curiosity pushing past his fear.“Dad…” His voice cracked softly. “If these aliens aren’t like the silver-skins, then… how many kinds are there? How many species even exist? I mean, how did all of them even come into being?”Sarah shifted, still keeping her palm on Ryan’s chest to feel the faint rise and fall of his breathing. Her eyes lifted toward Jack too, her voice hushed. “That’s the question no one really asks out loud. Where did they come from? All of them.”Emily’s arms were crossed tightly over her chest, her brow furrowed. “And don’t give us half-answers this time, Jack. Not now. We’ve seen too much.”Lena sat rigid against the wall, her hands clasped in he