Overseer Raine unsurprisingly baulked at the mere mention of handing over control to anyone else. He could do little to hide his sheer contempt for such a notion. "I must admit, chief, out of all your hare-brained schemes, this is brave even for you. Tell me why shouldn’t I strip you of your rank and launch both of you out of the nearest bloody airlock!"

"I did try warning him, sir, that you wouldn't take to the idea. Come on, Savin. We should leave before you embarrass me further."

"Leave? But we've only just arrived."

Cain wanted to be anywhere else but didn't fancy testing Savin's newfound power or patience. He just had to hope Reginald was still in there somewhere. So far, nothing indicated that; not a slight tick or nod. Savin wasn't going anywhere. He stepped forward with his arms behind his back and got within touching distance of the Overseer.

"I've lived for thousands of years. I've seen civilisations rise and fall. I even facilitated the development of your people. Who do you think was responsible for all those extinctions? All those climate shifts that paved the way for your kind?"

Savin continued past Raine until he stood staring out into the barren world of Mars. "I might think lowly of your people, but this is still quite an achievement. A workable foundation."

Raine turned to face him. "I know you're blind, but are you deaf too?"

Savin then looked straight into the Overseer's eyes. Despite Reginald's impairment, he remained unperturbed. "Blind? Overseer, you think me blind!" He advanced on the man, forcing him to take a step back. "Who among us blindly entered a facility filled with alien technology and corruption? Who among us settled on a planet where, if we so much as poke our heads outside, we die instantly? If I'm blind, then what does that make you?"

Raine's hands clenched, and he looked almost ready to throw a punch, but before he could even consider it, Savin became a blur. Once behind the man, the generated psion blade pierced his back, and Raine gasped, looking at Cain for help, but the man just watched in silence. This isn't my fight anymore. This is his world. I would be unwise to provoke him.

Before Savin could release his hold on Raine's corpse, a streak of light in the distance caught their attention, forcing Cain to edge forward slightly. Soon enough, it impacted, kicking up dust and dirt while generating a small explosion shockwave that this part of the Mars base could thankfully absorb. Savin glared at him.

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"What was that?"

"You tell me, Overseer. This is your world now. I'm just living in it."

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Ross and Anya had waited for someone to contact them, but as time passed, she realised it would never happen. For all they knew, the Moon was completely overrun.

"Um, Anya—double-check the incoming transmission source."

"Why?"

"Because it's coming from orbit."

She looked at the console and verified his suspicion. There was indeed a transmission coming from orbit, but as far as they knew, no other transports were scheduled to arrive except for LT765. She accepted the transmission into her headset and looked perplexed upon hearing strange alien noises in her ear. "Are you hearing this?"

"Yeah, it sounds like gibberish, doesn't it?"

"Could it be a fault with the tower?"

"No, someone or something is broadcasting in the blind."

A few minutes later, the tower shook violently, forcing them both to stand.

"Was that—"

"Shockwave…" Ross said as the lights flickered overhead. "Sounds like we just made first contact."

"What should we do, Ross?"

He took off the headset and approached the base's alarm system. In all their time here, she had never expected them to use it, but that transmission left them little choice. She nodded for him to trigger it.

First, he keyed in the code and then spoke into the built-in microphone. "This is a Code Black. An unknown vessel has made contact and deployed to the surface. All personnel—" he looked like he had no idea what to say next. Prepare to repel the invaders."

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Deep within the mind of Pyotr, she found herself in a thickly forested area coated in snow but otherwise tranquil. It was a world away from Mars’ inhospitable hellscape. Still, her journey into the man's subconscious had so far been uneventful, and she began to fear that he would never find his way back to the waking world. Soon enough, she reached a clearing and in its centre stood a country house. She checked for any security and found no alarm system. Before she reached the front door, it swung open, and standing before her, cradling a baby, was Pyotr.

"Pyotr…"

"Melina, I had a feeling he would send you to bring me back to the world of the living. That man gave me this as an apology."

"Savin is certainly an odd one."

"Yes," he said, closing his eyes, resigned to his fate. He left her at the front door and disappeared into another room. A few seconds later, he returned and crossed the threshold to stand at Melina's side. "Truth be told, I could gladly live in this illusion for the rest of my days even if it killed me, but it doesn't feel real. Like I close my eyes, and I'm stuck falling—forever into darkness."

"Here I was thinking you would resist me."

"I thought about it, but what's behind me if I want it? It needs to be real. It cannot be an alien construct based on my desires."

"You'll have to fight your way out of hell for that, Pyotr."

"Nothing worth fighting for is ever easy, Melina. Mars will not be where I die today. That much is a promise.