Chapter One: The Last Day on Earth

Axel stared at the horizon, where the sun, dim and bloated like an old bruise, barely clung to life. The sky over New Manhattan had always been a sickly grey, but today it looked worse—like the world itself had finally given up.

"Hell of a sunset," he muttered to himself, tugging his Ray-Bans down over his eyes. The streets behind him were as empty as ever, with only the occasional flicker of a drone zipping past overhead. Cracked pavement stretched for miles in every direction, but the towering glass skyscrapers—the ones still standing—glinted like teeth in a skull. This was Earth in its final days: a planet that had outlived its welcome, poisoned by its own progress.

The last thing Axel wanted to do was stick around for its funeral.

He adjusted the cuff of his jacket, revealing the slim black wristband he never went without. It had been his father's—Dr. Benjamin Walker, the genius who, according to some, had been the last hope for humanity. According to others, he'd been the reason everything went to hell. Either way, Axel's dad was dead, and no one had ever bothered explaining why.

"Dead of natural causes," they'd said. "A tragic accident," they'd claimed.

Yeah, sure. And the sky was blue.

Axel had spent the better part of a decade trying to figure out the truth behind his father's death. He and his sister had been shipped off to some nightmarish orphanage in the depths of a ruined Zambia, forgotten like yesterday's trash, left to rot in the underbelly of a society that had stopped caring about people years ago. But Axel wasn't just going to lie down and take it. Now, after years of digging and scraping together what little information he could find, he was on the verge of something big.

The plan was simple. Leave Earth. Find the truth. Maybe get revenge.

That last part was still up in the air.

"Axel!" A voice echoed from behind, breaking his thoughts. He turned to see his sister, Zoe, hurrying down the street, her backpack slung low over one shoulder. She was the brains of the family, all wild curly hair and sharp eyes that didn't miss a thing. At 18, she was already smarter than half the scientists in the city, and twice as dangerous with a screwdriver.

"Tell me you're not serious about this," Zoe panted as she reached him. She glanced up at the sky, then back at him with a look that said don't you dare do this.

Axel raised an eyebrow, smirking. "What, you don't trust my plan?"

She crossed her arms. "I trust your plan about as much as I trust the air in this city."

"Touché."

They stood in silence for a moment, the wind kicking up dust and debris around them. Zoe looked past him at the distant spaceport, where a battered old cargo ship sat waiting, its engines humming low. It wasn't much to look at, but it would do the job.

"You know this is insane, right?" Zoe finally said. "You've never even left Earth before. You don't know what's out there."

Axel shrugged. "Adventure, mystery, the occasional death-defying moment of pure terror. Sounds like a good time."

"Or a really quick way to get yourself killed."

He grinned, flashing her a confident look. "That's the spirit."

Despite her frustration, Zoe's gaze softened, and she stepped closer. "Just… don't forget you've still got people down here who care. I care."

"I know." He pulled her into a quick hug. "I'll be back. I promise."

She didn't look convinced, but she let it go. After all, Axel had never been one to back down from a fight—or a bad idea.

As they walked toward the rusting spaceport, Axel's thoughts shifted back to the device on his wrist. It wasn't just a watch; it was the last thing his father had been working on before he died. Axel didn't know exactly what it did, but he had a feeling it was the key to unlocking everything—the truth about his dad, about the mysterious projects he'd been involved in, and maybe even something bigger. Much bigger.

"Sure you don't want to come with me?" Axel asked, shooting Zoe a hopeful look.

She raised an eyebrow. "To the outer edges of space, where we'll likely be torn apart by space pirates or blown up by mercenaries? Tempting, but I think I'll pass."

"Your loss. Could be fun."

"You have a strange definition of 'fun.'"

They reached the spaceport, where the old freighter's cargo doors were open. Axel's ride off Earth was a relic from a bygone era, a ship that had seen better days but still held together—barely. The captain, a grizzled woman with a robotic arm and a face full of scars, was already waiting for him.

"You Axel Walker?" she growled, her voice rough from years of cheap liquor and bad air.

"That's me." Axel stepped forward, trying not to look too green around the gills. He'd never been off-world before, but he wasn't about to show any fear now.

"You've got the creds?" she asked, eying him up.

Axel tapped the device on his wrist. "I've got something better than creds."

The captain frowned but motioned him aboard. "This better not be a waste of my time, kid."

Axel gave her a wink. "It won't be. Trust me."

As he boarded, Zoe lingered at the bottom of the ramp, her eyes full of worry. "Last chance to back out, Axel."

"I don't back out," he called over his shoulder. "Not my style."

She shook her head, a half-smile playing on her lips. "Try not to blow up, okay?"

"I'll do my best."

The cargo doors clanged shut, and Axel felt a jolt of excitement as the ship rumbled to life beneath his feet. He took a deep breath, bracing himself as the engines roared and the ground fell away beneath them.

For the first time in his life, he was leaving Earth behind. The decaying, broken world that had been his prison for so long was now just a speck of dust in the rearview. Earth had taken everything from him, but the stars promised something else—a chance for answers.

As the ship broke through the atmosphere and into the cold, endless black of space, Axel couldn't help but laugh. This was it. The beginning of the adventure he'd been waiting for.

But as the stars stretched out before him, one thought stuck in his head:

He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

And, honestly, that was half the fun.