Today they killed Olivia. It wasn't an accident or an act of unjustified violence. It was a state-planned execution, carried out with surgical precision. There were no tears or lamentations, only the coldness of justice and the dull echo of a trigger being pulled. And now I find myself here, in this solitary cell, facing the overwhelming weight of what I am and what I've done. My mind is clear, without remorse or anguish, but my heart beats with a strange sense of indifference toward my own fate.

Yet, as I close my eyes, my mind returns to that sunny day in the tundra, to the expedition I participated in with Olivia.

"Can you toss me the pick, Tommy?" Olivia asked playfully.

"Here you go."

I tossed her the tool, and she held it mid-air. Then she continued pounding the meteorite until a hole formed, releasing grayish-purple dust. Mateo collected the dust in a bag and sealed it, automatically expelling the air and reducing its size considerably. We shook off the snow almost simultaneously and looked up at the sky. The sun was shining brightly, and the light reflected off the violet snow. If it weren't for the exploration suits, we would be getting sunburned. That didn't take away from the beauty of the purple clouds during sunsets.

"I hope this is enough. It'll look great on my résumé," Mateo exclaimed, packing the instruments and samples into a backpack.

"I don't know, I actually like the view," Olivia said. "We're the first ones to come this far from the Citadel. I'm just hungry," she said, patting her stomach.

"ASTRA," I said, tapping the side of my helmet. "We've collected a hundred grams. Can we go now?"

A feminine robotic voice responded, audible in all our helmets.

"Affirmative, Thomas. Commander Sofia Reyes orders an immediate return. First priority."

"First?" Mateo said.

"Affirmative, Mateo. No further details received from central command."

We exchanged glances, confused, and carefully gathered our things. We made our way through the snow, with Mateo almost slipping but managing to regain his balance with a jump. The slope was steep, and the terrain was rugged, making our progress difficult. Added to that, the huge purple mass prevented us from seeing where we were stepping. Olivia grabbed the rope hanging from the edge of the crater and propelled herself upward. She connected the climber and activated the motor, quickly ascending to the ledge, where she waited for our arrival. I took the rope, connected the climber, and activated the motor as well. During the ride, I observed the landscape we were leaving behind: the meteorite in the center of the crater, the purple snow, our footprints, and the mountains in the distance. There wasn't much to see, but those strange sights evoked a sense of nostalgia for Earth's trees.

Once at the top, Lieutenant Marcus held his rifle on his shoulder and looked into the distance, impatient.

"And the Intern?" he grumbled.

"Don't worry, Apple," Olivia said. "You couldn't use the climber until the tenth time, if I remember correctly," she teased.

"I'm here!" Mateo yelled, barely holding onto the rope and struggling to climb.

I helped him climb and stand up. At the top, the ground was different: the snow was melted, and it looked like purple puddles that revealed the black earth underneath us. Not a trace of insects or grass.

"Do you know why the commander wants us back so soon?" I asked.

"No. Probably just requested by the four-eyed researchers," Olivia replied. "As for me, I just want to breathe fresh air again to smoke a cigar."

"So you want to leave the toxic air outside to get yourself toxic air inside your lungs, huh?" Olivia teased.

"It's different. Besides, I've been sleeping in cramped cubicles for several days now, I want a real bed" Marcus said.

"That I can't deny, Marky."

The vehicle was a kind of cylinder with tracks. It had an industrial look, and the windows were as thick as the metal of the chassis itself. Once inside, we used the seats to rest and place our luggage. Olivia went to the back of the vehicle where the kitchen was located.

"ASTRA, take us to the Citadel," Marcus said.

"Right away, Lieutenant."

The cylinder started its engines and began to move slowly across the tundra. Through the window, we could see the purple clouds, the mountains, and the sun. The sunset added orange hues to the atmosphere. At those moments, it became clear to me that we were very lucky people. Not more than zero point zero zero zero zero one percent of humanity could witness those landscapes.

"Entering habitable ecological zone."

We pressed a button on our helmets, and they retracted into small plates hidden under the neckline of the exploration suit, taking a breath of fresh air and finally taking a sip of water. Only then did I remember the faces of my companions: Marcus' scars, Mateo's bulging eyes, and Olivia's mocking smile. Mateo began writing in his logbook, Marcus took out a cigar from I don't know where, and Olivia began to eat crackers while curiously watching Mateo.

"Hey, Intern," she said, still with food in her mouth. "Have you figured out what you're going to say to Dr. Tanaka?" She sat next to him and leaned over to see what he was writing.

"Dr. Olivia, could you please not dirty my notebook?" He extended his notebook to the side, away from the crumbs. "And yes, I'm going to request to be transferred to a molecular laboratory. My project for synthetic exon replication for regulation and control of..."

I don't even remember what else he said. I was a geologist and archaeologist. But Olivia seemed interested in all that genetic stuff, paying attention, although sometimes she was skeptical of the intern's explanations. I looked at Marcus, and he didn't understand anything either, just inhaling from his cigar and raising an eyebrow.

Hours passed until we managed to decipher the communication tower in the distance. That enormous antenna whose tip blinked every few seconds was the only trace of the Citadel visible for kilometers. It was already night. The purple moon rose imposingly in space. The light of the full moon cast gleams that bathed the entire area in purple tones. From a distance, the small city illuminated with a yellowish beam the surrounding barren regions as well. It was a bastion in the middle of nowhere. Some of the team yawned and rubbed their eyes denoting tiredness. In the distance, I saw a ship taking off from the launch pad. Something strange and totally out of protocol.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"And why is that?" Marcus pointed out.

"Maybe they brought forward terraforming?" I said doubtfully.

"ASTRA, who was on that ship?"

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, I have no information on that and I don't receive authorization from central command."

No one said anything else. We looked at each other with doubt. Each of us grabbed our belongings and slung them over our shoulders. Perhaps unconsciously, Marcus checked his magazines and made sure he had the safety on.

"We have arrived at the Citadel. Contact your superior for further instructions. Do not forget me, Lieutenant."

"Yes, yes," Marcus approached the driver's seat and removed a small database.

We got off the cylinder and approached a huge concrete and steel wall. It was larger than it seemed at first glance from a distance. A huge gate of several tons was the only thing separating us from the city. Marcus spoke through an intercom built into his suit:

"Sebri, do you want to open the door?" He waited a few seconds, but there was no response. He frowned and hit his microphone on his chest.

"Sebri, don't be a jerk, what are you doing? I'm exhausted and I don't plan on eating any more of that exploration crap. Open the damn door," he began to get impatient.

"What's that?" Mateo pointed at the sky, right on the edge where the wall ended: there was a human silhouette with arms extended forward. Due to the lack of illumination, we couldn't see many details, but it was enough for Marcus...

"Sebri! Don't be a jerk, what are you doing?" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

We could do little. By the time the rest of us reacted, Sebri's body was already on the snow, torn to shreds. Blood splattered on all our white suits. His brains were slowly coming out through the hole in his skull that was made when he fell. One eye had exploded. I don't really remember much of that incident: it was the first time I saw a dead body so closely, let alone such a visceral death. I don't know how much time passed when Olivia shook me to snap me out of my trance, by then Marcus was already fighting with his microphone and almost tearing off Mateo's suit to get his.

"Thomas!" I don't know how many times she shouted. "We need your authorization to enter through the emergency exit."

"Y-yes, of course."

In the background, Marcus continued to argue with ASTRA, demanding a communication link with the superiors, to no avail. Then he looked at me with clear annoyance and walked toward me. I handed him my access card before he hit me.

"Who do we report this to?" Mateo asked timidly.

Marcus started walking along one side of the wall, and we followed him. We walked a few hundred meters until we reached a protrusion in the wall. It was a door of normal size with two cameras looking in all directions. Marcus took out his access card and slid both through an optical reader. A very loud alarm went off, and the door opened, revealing a claustrophobic hallway with barely any light. We moved quickly along the narrow path until we reached another door. Again, he slid both cards, and it opened. On the other side was one of the main avenues of the Citadel. It was full of logistics vehicles moving around, department buildings, and lots of light, as usual. At first glance, there was nothing different, but a slight headache made its way into all of us at the same time, along with a strange metallic smell that filled the air. Mateo grabbed his head in discomfort, and Marcus tried to establish contact through his microphone. Olivia took my hand and looked at me intently.

"Are you okay?" she asked, with a noticeable look of concern.

"I-I think so. Thank you."

"No, it's not that. You're bleeding from the nose."

I brought my hand to my face and felt my own blood staining my fingers. Before anything else could happen, a member of Beit Sheni's Security Unit found us. He was breathing heavily. Between breaths, he yelled at us to put on our helmets. Everyone except Marcus obeyed.

"What's going on, soldier?" Marcus asked firmly. "Out there, Sebri just threw himself off the damn wall, and there's no communication with anyone!"

"Sebri? Oh no, damn it. It moves quickly," the soldier continued struggling to catch his breath. "I don't know all the details, but I can tell you there's something moving through the air, and nobody knows what it is," he leaned forward, trying to get as much air into his lungs as possible, he had been running for a while. "I was sent to gather civilians in central command. You should go there, I'm sure someone can explain to you what's going on," he pointed at us hurriedly. "Those suits are sealed, right? Please, my lieutenant, put on the helmet."

He pressed the button on his suit, and the helmet quickly covered his entire head. Once again, we could hear each other through the radio.

"ASTRA," Marcus said, "Plot a course to central command."

"Route established. Map updated to the entire squad."

"Alright, team," Marcus said. "This time I need you to obey everything I order, at least until we know what the hell is going on."

"Yes, Lieutenant," Mateo said, swallowing hard.

The soldier bid Marcus farewell politely and greeted the rest of us before continuing his journey into one of the apartment buildings. The suit had a small screen on the forearm with various data such as blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels, temperature, and all other medical data that didn't require intervention to know. It also displayed data we shared among the team members: logs, photographs, mission details, etc. Among many options, there was also a satellite image of the Citadel with a route drawn. After a few minutes of walking with our attention on high alert, all the cars on the street suddenly stopped.

"More signal problems?" I asked.

"That means the communication tower is failing," Mateo replied with concern.

"To be honest, I'm not surprised," Olivia intervened. "But still, I can't think of anything that would have caused this. Something spreading through the air? Weren't we all vaccinated and equipped with biochips?"

"Do you think they've finally found life? In the lake, perhaps?" Mateo suggested with fear in his voice. "Is that why they ended the mission early?"

"That would be news. But still... What kind of bacteria causes... suicides?" I said cautiously, still not over the image of Sebri.

"There have been cases where a bacterium can reach the brain and cause problems in the neural structures," Mateo began. "One of the symptoms caused by Pericisonia Coccus is precisely the decrease in refractory periods of..."

"Intern, simplify," Marcus interrupted firmly.

"S-sorry," Mateo apologized. "It's possible he convulsed and it wasn't intentional," he summarized, embarrassed.

"A bacteria that spreads through the air, is undetectable because I suppose if he had felt sick they would have done studies on him; and also causes convulsions in a few days with no other symptoms?" Olivia questioned. "Until we get to central command, we won't know."

"And that doesn't explain the communication failures," I mentioned with doubt.

"Silence, team," Marcus ordered. "I see something."

We stood behind him in single file against the wall. He peeked his head slightly around the corner. He stayed still for a second and then spoke.

"It's... weird. I think it's okay if you see it, just don't get too close."

We stood beside him with caution. What we saw seemed like something out of a psychiatric ward: a person lying on the ground, with all their muscles contracted, back arched in pain, and hands clenched into fists; barely holding themselves up on their heels and head; emitting muffled sounds of pain without saying a word. They had torn their clothes off, exposing almost their entire body. The pain in our temples returned suddenly.

As we watched the person writhing on the ground, a strange feeling of unease came over us. The muscles in my back tensed, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. I looked at my companions, and even though I couldn't see their faces directly through the reflective visor, I could hear their noticeably accelerated breathing over the radio, I knew they were experiencing the same thing as me.

Then, suddenly, the person on the ground looked up at us. Their eyes, bulging with panic, locked onto ours with an intensity that sent chills down our spines. For a moment, the world seemed to stop, and silence became oppressive around us.

"Don't move!" Marcus shouted, stepping out of hiding and pointing his weapon at the person.

"Marcus!" Olivia exclaimed. "Don't shoot!"

But it was too late. The figure on the ground emitted a guttural sound and began to crawl towards us, with clumsy and spasmodic movements. They didn't seem voluntary.

"What is... that?" Mateo whispered, his eyes wide with terror.

Before I could even formulate my thoughts, the sound of two shots rang out, filling the strangely somber and silent atmosphere. And when I saw that person's eyes and teeth collapse, I knew I had become an accomplice to the greatest of human cruelties.