Chapter 4 Once A Peaceful Place

Liliana looked at Andrea, "I wonder what time it is, there's no night and day here in space." She said.

Andrea smiled slightly.

"That's because in space there's no real night and day like we have on earth. Space itself is always dark, there's no atmosphere to scatter sunlight like on earth, so unless you're looking directly at the sun, everything around you is pitch black. Understood? Big head." He teased.

Liliana grinned and tapped his head gently.

"My boyfriend is so cool, he's so intelligent."

Andrea smirked.

And my girlfriend is so proud of me, she's the cutest.

Have you been on a mission before? Andrea asked.

No, this is my first ever mission, Liliana replied giggling like a child. What about you? She asked.

"This is my third mission." Andrea replied, his voice laced with pride.

"You're so cool." Liliana replied admiringly.

"There they go again, all lovey-dovey." Mike stared at them, his nerves boiling in anger.

"I think they are cute." Zara said with a soft chuckle.

Suddenly, commander Yelena's voice boomed through the ship.

"Everyone!" She called, snapping Liliana and Andrea out of their bubble.

"What day is it? Check your space watches. It's the 5th day in space. What have we achieved?"

She walked to the center, her expression dead serious.

"We all know the reason for this mission. We must thrive. We must find the cause of the disaster currently ravaging the earth and come up with a solution."

"Most of us come from different countries. For some of you, the outbreak has already reached your homeland. For others it's only a matter of time. This mission will get harder, more intense, maybe even terrifying. But we must not lose hope."

"We must find a solution to the catastrophe on earth, and to achieve that, we work not as strangers or divided nations but as family."

She paused, then added.

"I received a report and a video from earth…. it's bad."

She played the video on the holographic display.

People were seen running Helter skelter, medics were evacuating survivors and the injured, fire fighters were seen running around quenching the fire.

Reports of a volcanic eruption in Spain.

Many people were reported dead, some were burned beyond recognition and could die at any minute.

Children were crying, parents were running around looking for their children.

Animals were barking, meowing, some fled, some lay injured.

Everyone was in dire distress.

As the drone continued hovering above capturing everything, it captured a moment a crying little girl was swallowed by earth. The volcano had caused an earthquake.

Another scene showed a mother and daughter in a life and death situation.

The ground they were standing on split into two, separating them, the mother reached out her hand, with hopes of saving her child, unfortunately the child was swept away by the volcanic flame, leaving the mother in a helpless state.

Liliana gasped and burst into tears.

Yelena turns off the display.

"You all have seen".... She paused, wiped her face and continued.

"We have to succeed, for our families, for Earth. We have no choice."

The crew members were quietly sobbing and sniffing.

Mike the ice cube didn't know when a tear dropped.

Liliana wiped her tears and squeezed Andrea's hand gently offering comfort. Hoping and praying the eruption hadn't reached his home.

He looked at her and smiled, assuring her he's okay.

Remembering how peaceful the earth used to be, her eyes began to well up again.

"What could have gone wrong?"

"Everything was okay six months ago," Liliana murmured to herself.

*Flashback*

Five months ago, four countries India, Korea, Brazil, and South Africa reported unprecedented heatwaves.

What started as a normal summer, escalated into a nightmare.

No one noticed anything at first.

The sun has always been hot in India. In South Africa, people were used to dry spells.

Brazil was no stranger to intense sunlight.

And Korea? Their summers were humid, sometimes unbearable but never deadly.

So when the temperatures started rising, most people shrugged it off.

"Just another heatwave," they said.

However, this heatwave kept increasing.

People wore lighter clothes. Drank more water. Stayed indoors during the day. Parents told their kids, "Don't stay too long in the sun."

It was just a phase.

News outlets reported high records of temperatures.

In India it is 43°C.

In Korea it is 45°C.

In Brazil it is 47°C.

In South Africa it is 49°C.

This was no normal temperature.

Plants began to wither, they've had enough photosynthesis but no water to absorb.

People were in panic, it was reported that there would be a severe famine if the temperature kept on escalating.

But as human beings, they went about their lives.

The beaches were full. Fans sold out. Air conditioners ran day and night.

Meteorologists began investigating, they were whispering "This isn't normal."

"This is escalating to something else."