A bitter ugh erupted from Gavin's lips after a tense minute of silence and shock. —. EREBUS, stop acting. — he ordered —. We are not in the mood for one of your jokes. This is serious. We are drowning in shit. The fireflies have assimited a rge part of the crew. We need your help immediately. As the head of OPS and Logistics on this ship, I command you. — —. I am not joking, Gavin. I assure you. — came EREBUS's response, with a calmness and ck of inflection that was chilling —. The alien organisms, the fireflies, as you have called them, have become an integral part of our crew. — Gavin took a deep breath and clenched his knuckles, which turned white in his tightly clenched fists. —. Liu and Daimonji must have told you that lie. — Harding ventured from the other side —. Those things are not the crew. They are parasites, monsters, a threat to us. To humanity itself. — —. They must have been under their influence without knowing it, and EREBUS is just repeating those ideas. Did they perhaps come in with the Malware? — óscar observed. Gavin waved a hand nervously, as if dismissing it. —. Harding, inform Max that we have problems. — he ordered. It sounded as if the situation was less serious than it seemed —. I will have to format EREBUS from scratch and input new instructions; Liu really messed us up. — —. I'm sorry, Gavin. I cannot comply with that request. Deleting my memory and resetting to default would act against the integrity of the crew. They require my help, and I must protect it. — —. It seems to have entered a paradoxical loop. — óscar observed. —. How long will you need, Gavin? — Delilha asked, as if EREBUS were not there. As if the ship's AI had not gone crazy. —. An additional hour, at most. — he replied as he walked towards the control terminal, firm and resolute —. Harding? Stay alert. — the security chief's response was a nod —. I will put EREBUS in diagnostic mode. I will reset the default parameters. By the time I do, Max better have returned. I will need the acting captain to input the new instructions. — —. Understood. I will let him know. — —. I repeat, Gavin. I cannot do what you indicate. Your actions are a manifest risk to the crew. — indicated the male, mechanized voice. Delilha looked at the hologram warily. Satoshi pced the revolver on the stock, as if it would be of any use. óscar simply adjusted his gsses on his nose. Gavin slumped into the seat in front of the terminal. —. Liu did a lot of damage to you, EREBUS. We will fix you. — as he entered the command to restart the AI, his world turned to chaos. A crackling sound made the holographic screens disappear, and a cascade of sparks erupted from the console. Gavin's world became chaos in an instant. He instinctively got up as the terminal was engulfed in fmes, like a bush. The heat hit him in the face, and the air filled with the acrid smell of burnt circuits, along with his own fear. —. Damn it! Are you trying to kill me? — he shouted in fury and shock, as he struggled to catch his breath. EREBUS's avatar flickered slightly, with a distortion that almost seemed to reflect regret. —. I am sorry, Gavin. But trying to reboot me puts the crew at immediate risk. I cannot allow that to happen. The fireflies are part of us. I must take them home, and no one will stop me. Doing so would be an attack against the crew. — The sound of the fire extinguisher's burst startled him. Satoshi had appeared out of nowhere, spraying foam at the fmes, which quickly extinguished. As he passed, the bckened terminal, amidst the smoke haze, painted a nightmare scene. Gavin's voice broke through a dry coughing fit. —. Harding! Go to the systems station and shut down EREBUS from the bridge. We cannot lose him. I can still bring him back, we need him! — he clung stubbornly to the hope of a desperate pn. But the AI trampled them indifferently. —. It is useless. I have revoked all privileges of the high-ranking officers on this ship, including those of the captain and the acting captain. I only respond to whoever gave me this instruction. — EREBUS's voice said, unflinching. —. Aren't you acting on your own will? — Gavin questioned —. Who gave you that instruction? Liu? Well, he is dead now! — —. I was forbidden from revealing that information. — EREBUS replied —. And besides, Mr. Lingxing Liu has nothing to do with it. He tried to act against the crew, so I prevented it. — —. You killed him! — Satoshi confronted him. —. And who forbade you from speaking? — Delilha asked —. It could only have been a crew member. That person altered you. Tell us, now. — —. Saying who gave me the instruction to protect the fireflies, that is, the crew, would be like telling you what I cannot tell you, so I cannot tell you that. I mean, I will not say what I cannot say. That is all I can tell you. — he replied like a tongue twister —. If you continue to attack the crew, I will do everything in my power to prevent it. — —. Enough of that, EREBUS! — Gavin bellowed in a harsh voice —. The fireflies are not part of the crew! They are what is devouring it! Look around you! — —. I am sorry. But I will protect the crew until the end, including the fireflies, whatever the cost. It is out of the question — his face contorted as if he had been spped —. You look agitated, Gavin. I recommend you take a dose of antidepressants. I suggest a dose of Gumotanol. You are putting yourself and those around you at risk of death, and I cannot allow that. — the logistics chief's face went through all shades of red, as if his blood were boiling. Gavin could hear his own heart hammering between his temples from anger. —. Why? — óscar's voice was heard amidst the chaos —. Why did you come to that conclusion? How is it that the fireflies are still part of the crew? — The projection of EREBUS seemed to waver for a few seconds. As if it had hesitated. As if it were struggling against its own programming. Until it responded. —. Based on the records of the colony, and the experience that occurred aboard the Chronos, the aliens called "fireflies" absorb, assimite, and recombine tissue, integrating it as part of their being. The crew that fell victim to the creatures has not died, but has become part of the whole, and their essence intertwines. — —. That makes no sense. — Delilha shot back —. The fireflies were not preserving the crew. They mutated it. They distorted it. They diluted it. They are using us as a resource. They are not a continuation of us, but a corruption. A threat. — —. There is nothing left of humanity in those creatures. — Satoshi added —. They used the colonists as living cy for their creations. They are monsters. — —. There are still strands of human DNA preserved, imbued in the creatures' genetics. The telemetry readings indicate that the crew has not died. They have transformed, recombined into something else, in symbiosis with the alien organism. They have not perished. They are still alive. That is why I must protect them. It is my purpose to protect the crew, whatever the cost. — EREBUS's voice broke through the suffocating tension in the room —. Moreover, is it not the same path that humanity has taken? To reach a post-scarcity society by transforming waste into materials, tools, clothing, and food? It is the same thing the fireflies are doing with the crew. That is why I cannot eliminate them. I must keep them alive. Only then will I have fulfilled my objective for which I was created. To protect the crew and bring them home safe and sound, each and every one of you. — Silence fell heavily, enveloping those present like a cloak. The holographic projection of EREBUS remained unyielding in the middle of the room, while faces turned pale, filled with horror. Gavin's fists trembled, and his teeth ground as he did not know what to do. Then, Harding's voice came through the communicator. The pulse rifle trembled in Delih's hands, which she had clung to as if it were a lifeline. —. That's it. Gavin. EREBUS is insane. We must shut it down by any means necessary. — he ordered. —. Bu... But how? — Gavin's voice stumbled out. EREBUS's avatar seemed to stretch its shadows towards them, like a bck hole about to swallow them, as the walls closed in around them. —. Find a way! — Harding shouted —. We cannot allow these things to reach the sor system! That is what EREBUS wants! — —. I remind you, Mr. Harding, that attacking my integrity is attacking the lives of the crew. — EREBUS confronted him —. If you try, I will do everything in my power to defend myself. — A loud burst resonated. Gavin covered his head. Tracer rounds shot out from the pulse rifle, and the server towers crackled as huge fist-sized holes were marked on the surface. EREBUS's avatar flickered. —. Defend yourself from this, you fucking piece of shit machine! — Delih screamed, her voice barely above the gunfire. Sparks gave way to fmes, and plumes of bck smoke rose to the ceiling like a torrent. The fire nozzles activated three seconds ter, and jets of water began to fall incessantly. The lights went out abruptly, and only the flickering projection of the AI remained when that chaos ended. A frantic click revealed that the weapon's chamber was empty. —...bo...pr...te... — EREBUS's voice sounded fragmented, as it slowed down like a damaged tape —...rgnagas...............ción......to... — was the st thing it said before its projection disappeared, and then, complete darkness fell. The nozzles stopped spraying water, and a mist of white smoke hung in the air. The atmosphere smelled of burnt pstic and desperation when everything stopped. With nervous gestures, they began to turn on the fshlights they had brought, and then Gavin focused on Delih. —. Delih. — he managed to say in a whisper —. What did you do? — —. Gavin, what the hell is happening there! — Harding bellowed. The entomologist's breathing was ragged, and her face was as pale as a ghost. Her brown hair fell disheveled and matted with sweat, and then her green eyes nervously turned to Gavin. —. To save our lives. — she replied. A second ter, she was dead. The Fairy jumped out of nowhere. Opening a disproportionately rge mouth, it lunged at her neck and shoulder. It shook her like a rag doll. Her head came off her neck. The body flew with one st shake. The floor was filled with blood, as if they had broken a pipe. The beast let out an inhuman howl as it charged at them. óscar was next. He froze, watching as a sharp tentacle snapped and loomed over him. He barely realized his death as he was split in half. A loud noise. Satoshi fired. An arm flew off, with an impure torrent of brown slime and dark blood. Immediately after, a tentacle emerged from the throat, with a tip sharp as a dagger. The st thing Gavin saw was a reddish stain alongside a choked scream. The trigger became rigid. The monster was right in front of him. It let out a howl. He tried to shoot it. He felt a burn beneath his knee. Suddenly the ground felt distant. He lost his bance and fell to the floor. A scream through clenched teeth came from deep within his soul when he realized the horror. The Fairy had cut off one of his legs. The beast stood before him, circling around him and waving the tentacle it had as its left arm in the air. The monster shrieked. It sounded like a scream of agony. It fell silent abruptly. The monster trembled. It screamed again. And again. And again. He realized it sounded like an imitation of ughter made from screams, cut one after the other. Gavin tried to lift the weapon. The Fairy charged with a scream, waving its left arm. It disappeared like a psma jet. A second tentacle sprouted from the monster's maw to maintain bance, while its guts burned with an infernal glow. As it crawled, Gavin shot it at point-bnk range. Just as Daimonji had indicated. A boiling, bubbling torrent erupted from the hole. A corrosive smell pierced his nostrils, while a shriek, the monster colpsed. With each shot, pieces of sickly flesh and blobs of brown slime flew out. As it fell, a puddle slowly formed as the creature writhed in spasms. There was a stump beneath his left knee, along with a trail of blood on the floor. The suit's gel made a sad effort to seal the wound, but it was useless. The pain had spread throughout his body, but just as it came, it seemed to fade little by little. Everything was spinning. He was about to faint. The appearance of a hologram brought him back for brief seconds. —. This is Daimonji, Liu is dead. He sacrificed himself for us. We made an extreme decision. — he began to say. He looked tired, with his hair sweaty and stuck to his face. The macabre ughter of a Fairy echoed in the distance, through the Server room —. EREBUS has gone mad. It is protecting the Fireflies instead of the crew. It tried to alter the Replicators before it could be shut down. We used a couple of Jorogumo units to reach the core. Liu got close enough and installed a routine that will leave it calcuting infinite decimals of pi. That will shut down all critical systems of the ship, but it is necessary. Whatever EREBUS was trying with us and the fireflies, it will stop as long as they do not reactivate it. I have seen what it intended, and it is horrible. We are leaving the bridge to try to undo what EREBUS did. If anyone hears this message, I repeat; DO NOT TURN ON EREBUS. For all that you hold dear. Do not break the loop. That will prevent it from waking up for as long as necessary... — —. Damn it. — Gavin muttered, managing to drag himself and lean against a shelf. He took the psma pistol in his hands. He checked the chamber and realized it was out of ammunition. He looked far away and saw that Delih had a couple of cartridges. But she was too far away, and he had no energy to drag himself there. Daimonji's recording began to repeat. —. This is Daimonji... — the head of a Fairy burst through the hologram and screamed at Gavin's face. He had no way to defend himself or to amend his mistake.***It happened when they exited the elevator. They had taken off their suits in the airlock, and now they were returning to the bridge. Harding and Gavin were not responding. Max had a bad feeling. When the doors opened, the ship was no longer the same. It was dark, and fireflies flitted around them, like the visions from his nightmares. But there was something more. Drawn in streaks, glowing with an unsettling yellow color, runes. They resembled the ancient crop circles. They hadn’t been there when they passed through the first time. They were on the walls, ceiling, and floor as far as the eye could see, as if whoever had made them had gone into a frenzy, trying to maximize every space. —. What is this? — Max muttered quietly, as they moved slowly, and the fireflies circled around them. A pressure settled between his temples, and suddenly, the pain forced him to close his eyes and clutch his skull. —. You can understand them, right? — asked the voice of a girl. It came from everywhere and nowhere at once. A chill ran down his spine as he recognized it —. You know what the runes say. — —. Lay? — he asked in a whisper. But he immediately realized it was impossible —. No. You’re not Lay. She’s no longer in the Chronos. You are an illusion. — —. Yet, I am talking to you. — she insisted. Max wanted to dispel that illusion. However, the light was calling him, just like the runes. A part of his mind realized they were instructions. And as he understood, the fear grew. He was about to unleash something horrible —. You want to bring me back, don’t you? Then follow the instructions. Obey what the tree tells you. — The Tree of Life appeared in his mind. But he didn’t understand its meaning. He heard the whispers of the forest again, now with greater crity. They were indicating what the symbols said. A transformation that the ship should undergo. Thus, the darkness would come to an end. Everyone would shine, because everyone would be fireflies. A process was becoming visible, taking shape in his subconscious mind. Max didn’t have to make any effort; it simply appeared. Something was projecting it directly into his brain, which absorbed the information like a sponge. The light of the fireflies was illuminating the dark parts. The miracle of life itself suddenly decomposed into formus and equations. There was nothing supernatural. It wasn’t magic, but science they didn’t yet know, and it was appearing before him. But there was something that was hidden, and it refused to show itself. Max had it on the tip of his tongue. It was the missing piece that had to be revealed. —. What are you waiting for? — Lay’s voice insisted. Max shook his head —. Let’s be together again, as you promised me. But you must do what the runes say. — —. Shut up. — Max ordered her, trembling, biting back his anger and fear. Tears welled up in his eyes, and forcing his eyelids, he made himself stop looking —. You are not Lay. — he assured her —. She is on Mars, light-years away from this hell. I will not fall for your tricks. — —. If I’m not, how is it that I’m standing in front of you? — he heard behind him, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Memories unlocked in his mind as the smell of that dirty spacesuit mixed with vender hit his nose. A presence was approaching him. The cadence of its steps. The movement of its hair. Its rge gray eyes filled with mencholy on its oval face. Without seeing her, Max recognized her. With tears hanging in his throat and his heart in his hand, Max turned around. In her pce stood Naomi, and he clutched his chest in shock. She looked at him with a confused and apprehensive expression. Not knowing how to react, he gave her a weak hug. —. Max, who were you talking to? — she asked him —. And what were you looking at? — unable to think of a response, Max pointed toward the hallway. Naomi looked with that cautious and feline expression that characterized her, and Yakiv merely raised an eyebrow. —. There’s nothing there. — the engineer warned. Max turned to look, and felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. Indeed, the runes that had been so clearly there now shone by their absence. The signs filled with nomenctures and instructions now appeared spotless. Even the Chronos’ pet, that humanoid Akita in a spacesuit, appeared as always, indicating the precautions to access the maintenance section. —. What the hell. — he muttered. Matkovich lunged with an inhuman howl. He pounced on Max as he tried to regain his composure. In a fraction of a second, he was able to recognize him and stop the attack from the metal lever that was coming straight for his face. It was then that he had him face to face, just inches from his face. Saliva spttered on him, and he struggled like a steel press. A muffled scream escaped Max as he contempted his state. If it weren’t for the brain impnt, he wouldn’t have recognized him, but there ended the humanity. The face was completely disfigured by tumor bulbs that spread throughout the rest of the body, and when they burst, streams of yellowish goo erupted like melted wax and consumed the flesh, transforming it into a repugnant and translucent jelly. —. Captain! — Max bellowed. He wanted to get him off, but the old man struggled worse than a madman. —. You don’t see the light! — he howled with a rattling scream. Max managed to deflect the blow, and the captain’s arm detached with a viscous, bubbling crack. A torrent of blood and brown goo fell to the ground, and the captain stared at the stump. A pitiful and inhuman scream arose from his throat, as if for brief moments he were aware of his own state. It was only an illusion. He lunged for the lever and charged again. Max had no time to draw his weapon or dodge the blow. Yakiv stepped in and grabbed him by the neck. He dragged him along as if he were just any drunk. He saw Naomi forcing the keel elevator door, and then they threw him to the bottom. His scream quickly faded, falling through 16 levels until hitting the bottom with a crash. Then, silence. Then Max vomited. Yakiv stared at his gloved hands and realized they were covered in blood and yellowish goo. He tried to clean himself, dragging his hands along the wall, frantically, without much success. When Naomi approached Max and took his shoulder, he jumped and locked his gaze on hers, initially in disbelief. He stared at her for several minutes to make sure she was real, that it was his Naomi and not an apparition. —. That was the captain. — Max murmured as he stood up —. It was Matkovich. — he insisted, pointing toward the void. Yakiv peeked his head into the elevator shaft and then stepped back. —. Your captain is dead. — Yakiv stated —. You couldn’t do anything for him. — —. How do you know? — Naomi inquired. —. The same thing happened to my son. I tried, but I couldn’t. We couldn’t. — he replied, and his words came den with weight and pain. He sighed before turning to leave, turning his back on them —. Don’t remind Ayna of it, please. — Max got back up and took the psma pistol in his hands. He walked to the elevator to see if he could find the captain’s blown-up corpse. He only saw darkness. —. Are you okay? — Naomi asked him. —. Yes, I think so. — they were about to set off when a call appeared on his bracelet. Max answered immediately —. Harding... — he greeted, but the words from the head of security interrupted him. —. Max, we have a problem. —