“Mr Hemsworth has asked for the son of Owen Rykard” one of them responded

“What for?” Leira asked, glaring at them.

They didn't answer; instead, the one on the left signaled the other to grab Mark. He reached out to him but Leira aggressively bit into his arm.

Mark behind her was drenched in confusion, he couldn't even move. Why did Mr Hemsworth need him?

Leira's teeth sank into his flesh, causing blood to trickle. The man retrieved his hand and winced in pain.

“Mark is going nowhere,” she let out a low growl.

“Don't make us use force, Mrs. Rykard; just cooperate,” he pleaded.

Unmoving, she pulled out a pin from her hair, causing her hair to cascade down to her back. “I said, Mark is going nowhere.” She charged at the man before her, but he was quicker than her. He caught her hand and held her tightly while the other quickly grabbed Mark.

“Hey! Let go of her!” Mark yelled out angrily

“Mark!” She grunted while struggling against the man's grip.

Mark was grabbed by the arm; he struggled, but his struggle against him was in vain. His last resort was reaching out desperately.

“Let him go!”

“Leave Mark, take me!” she shouted, reaching out to him as well.

They locked hands, gripping onto each other.

“Hey! Let go!” the man dragging Mark demanded.

“Mum!”

“Mark!”

Their hands were slipping. She tried to pull as she struggled but it was difficult. In her struggle, she tried to stab the man who held her, but it was too late; Mark was taken.

“Hey! Let me go!” Mark demanded as both men held his arm, leading him to the big building.

“Stop struggling, we aren't going to harm you” the one on his right assured.

“What does Mr Hemsworth want from me?” He asked

“Just know that it is for the betterment of humanity”

“What??” Mark's brows knitted. Betterment of humanity? What the hell did that mean? He asked over and over but the men stopped responding to him.

He was taken further into the building, somewhere he didn't even know existed.

The room was large and poorly illuminated. He was fastened to a chair, and both his hands and feet were tied up.

“What the fuck is this??” He asked but they ignored him and exited the room.

“Mark?” He heard a familiar voice and looked to his left. His eyes widened at the sight of Leah and Liam both tied down just like he was.

“You guys, what's going on?” He asked

“I don't know,” Liam responded, he too was frightened and confused.

Leah wasn't making much of a fuss; Mr bear was on her lap, so she was less anxious.

Their attention was drawn to the door at the sound of muffled voices. Chloe, as well as Helen, was dragged in and fastened to chairs.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Mark seized the opportunity and asked, “Hey! What's going on!?” the men ignored him and left.

The dim lights were suddenly brightened, causing them to squint. ‘what the fuck is this?’ Eiden pondered while his eyes adjusted to the lighting.

“Caleb Hemsworth..” murmured Helen. Caleb was seated before them, and beside him were others. The only thing that divided them was the long table in between.

“What's going on?” Mark asked for the third time. He looked at Dr. Glassman, who was standing next to Caleb; he couldn't even look at Mark directly.

Caleb cleared his throat and started, “Helen, daughter of Captain Braun Hart. Mark, son of commander Owen Rykard. Liam and Leah, twins of Mr Zay Smith, and Mrs Patel Smith. Lastly, Chloe Kingston, daughter of pilot Debby Kingston. Welcome to the meeting hub”

Their faces dropped after being introduced along with their parents who worked with the ASA. “What's going on?” Mark asked, his brows knitting in puzzlement.

Leah responded instead, her voice calm. “They're gonna shoot us into space,” she breathed in a whisper. Shocked, Helen looked at her “How did you-”

“Mr bear told me,” she said. Leah yearned to clutch onto it but her hands were tied. Helen narrowed her eyes at her; Leah was the crazy one; nobody took her words seriously.

His gaze fixed on Caleb, Mark asked “What is the meaning of this?”

Caleb brought out a cigarette, and a scientist next to him helped him light it. He stood up. “Let me show you” he gestured to one of the scientists on his right, and the room was dimmed again.

The man in a white coat turned on the projector, revealing slides of their beloved planet Earth. The ruins and decaying bodies caused the five of them to stare with grave expressions.

“This is the planet we live on,” Caleb started, puffing the cigarette smoke. “A place that used to be a paradise, home to many great countries and people, is now a brooding ground for maggots”, the only organism completely immune to the UA virus.

The next slide showed a picture of a galaxy, a canvas art showing intricate designs of dark colors, and a space filled with bright stars and gray swirls. It was a mesmerizing sight.

Staring deeply into the picture, Caleb said “Out there, there is a place, a planet very much like ours used to be. Filled with rich, fertile soil, countless waterfalls and babbling brooks, breathable air and green pastures”, he looked back at them, his eyes dripping with desperation “If there's a place like this out there, why must we suffer and die in this god-damned planet?”

They stared at him like he was spouting nonsense.

Caleb ran his hand through his hair, his crooked smile adding to his madman-like demeanor. “This is exactly what we need!”

Chloe clicked her tongue “You sure are going crazy about this ‘planet’, how are you even sure that these things actually exist there?”

“Well, Chloe Kingston,” Caleb dropped the cigarette butt on the floor and pressed down on it with the tip of his shoes. “Two months after the Aurora space agency launched its first spaceship to the tenth planet, we lost contact with our astronaut heroes, but before that we-”

“Wait, what?” Mark's eyes widened, his expression was a mix of shock and disbelief. Caleb looked at him, his eyes holding no remorse.

“What do you mean two months after?” Mark's face contorted with a hint of confusion.

Watching his mixed reactions, Caleb sighed, “Well, just after delivering their crucial discovery, there was a mishap, uh…a shift in the connection and-”

Mark didn't wait for the full explanation; he cut in, “They're coming back, right?”. Caleb paused and looked at him with a pained expression, his shoulders lifted in a slow shrug causing Mark to ask again but this time with a louder voice,

“They're coming back right!?” His eyes welled up, darting from Caleb to Dr. Glassman. Unable to answer, Dr. Glassman averted his eyes.

Caleb's brows knitted. “Son of Owen Rykard, it's been ten years now. Do you think your father is ever coming back?”

Mark's pupils dilated in stunned silence as if trying to process the enormity of the question; he mouthed, “They're never coming back.” He felt like he had been punched in the gut, his breath knocked out of him.

In the state of uneasiness, Mark's mind reeled with desperate thoughts, and he began to struggle violently in the chair. Caleb stood across him, watching him grunt heavily and fight against the straps that held him, waiting for him to tire himself out.

“Ahhhhhh!” Mark screamed at the top of his lungs, emptying his pent-up frustration. He knew his father was gone; he just needed someone to tell him that he was wrong.

Mark hung his head low in defeat panting while his body quivered. Caleb Hemsworth used to be his hero, how can a hero be so emotionless and cruel?

Liam beside him felt his insides twist, he and Leah's parents are never coming back. “Mark,” he whispered.

Gritting, Chloe glared at Caleb “How can you even say that with an ounce of care?”

Caleb shrugged “What are you like 12 year old kids? You're not little anymore, I don't need to sweet-talk you with lies. Your parents aren't ever coming back; they're lost in space; that's the truth, the end.”

Helen hissed at his words “Yeah we get it, you can at least act like you're sad about it”

“Why should I? It's been ten years already. With the post-apocalyptic times going on, I barely even remember what those guys were like”

“Fucking bastard” Chloe gritted.

“Watch your words, kid, I'm an adult” Caleb warned

Helen scoffed and muttered, “Yeah, right.”

Clicking his tongue, Caleb continued “As I was saying, before we lost connection with the astronauts, they delivered some useful details. Not only is the tenth planet a haven, it is also inhabited by aliens..”