A Mystery in the ruins

Chapter 5

The moon hung high over the Wealth Aerospace Headquarters, casting a cold glow over the nearly deserted building. The earlier chaos had died down, leaving behind an eerie silence. But inside Jetpack's office, the storm was far from over.

Jetpack sat in the dimly lit room, his fingers tapping restlessly on the armrest of his chair. His tired eyes remained fixed on the screen before him, watching the grainy satellite footage over and over again. The distorted image of the spaceship still floating in the vast darkness of space gnawed at his mind.

How was it still intact?

The official reports had declared the crew lost, the ship doomed to be swallowed by the unknown. Yet, here it was proof that something else had happened. Something no one could explain.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair. The media was already tearing him apart. Investors were pulling out. The government was demanding answers. But all he had were more questions.

Then, a sharp knock on the door made him jolt.

"Come in," he called, rubbing his temples.

The door creaked open, and Dr. Kore stepped inside. His expression was unreadable, but the urgency in his movements made Jetpack sit up straighter. The scientist clutched a blackened, dented metal box in his gloved hands.

"Sir… we found something," Kore said, his voice tense.

Jetpack's heart pounded. "What is it?"

Kore placed the damaged box on the desk with a dull thud. Jetpack leaned forward, his fingers hovering over the surface before pressing against the cold metal. It was still warm.

"This was discovered in the desert," Kore continued, his gaze locked onto Jetpack's. "Miles away from the launch site."

Jetpack frowned. "That's impossible. If the spaceship was pulled into the black hole, how did a part of it end up back on Earth?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Kore's voice dropped lower. "This shouldn't be here. And yet, here it is."

Jetpack stared at the box, his mind racing. A fragment of the ship had returned. Which meant—

"Could the crew have made it back?" he asked, barely daring to hope.

Kore hesitated. "We don't know. But there's more."

Jetpack's gaze snapped to him. "More?"

Kore reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, scorched data drive. He placed it beside the box.

"This was inside the wreckage," he explained. "It's a flight recorder. If it's still functional, it might have recorded what happened after the ship vanished."

Jetpack didn't waste a second. He grabbed the drive and plugged it into his computer. The screen flickered, lines of corrupted data flashing across the display before stabilizing. A distorted audio file appeared.

Jetpack swallowed hard, his finger hovering over the play button. He took a deep breath and pressed it.

Static filled the room. Then...

A voice.

"Mayday… Mayday… This is Captain Raji of Naija-One… We have lost control… But we are not… alone…"

Jetpack froze. The voice was weak, strained, but unmistakably human.

Captain Raji was alive, or at least, he had been when this was recorded.

Kore's face paled. "Did he just say… 'we are not alone'?"

Jetpack's stomach twisted. He rewound the file, listening carefully.

"…We have lost control… But we are not… alone…"

The last word was almost drowned in static, but it was there. A chill ran down Jetpack's spine.

Not alone...

What did that mean?

The spaceship had vanished into uncharted space. If something, someone was out there…

Jetpack's pulse thundered in his ears. This wasn't just about recovering a lost mission anymore.

Something much bigger was at play.

He turned to Kore, his expression resolute. "Get a team together. I don't care what it takes, we're finding that ship."

Kore nodded, but Jetpack could see the doubt in his eyes. "And if the crew really isn't alone out there?"

Jetpack clenched his fists. "Then we need to find out who or what is with them."

The room fell into silence, both men processing the weight of what they had just uncovered. Jetpack's mind raced through possibilities. Could they have encountered another spacecraft? An unknown civilization? Or worse… something hostile?

Kore hesitated before speaking again. "There's something else, sir."

Jetpack turned his sharp gaze to him. "What now?"

Kore reached into his bag and pulled out a photograph. "This was found near the wreckage."

Jetpack took the photo and felt his breath hitch. It was an image of the spaceship piece, but carved onto its surface, barely visible beneath the scorched metal, was something terrifying.

A symbol.

Not just any symbol, something unrecognizable. Jagged, ancient-looking marks, almost like hieroglyphics but unlike anything Jetpack had ever seen before.

He traced the edges of the photo with his thumb, feeling a deep, unsettling chill spread through his chest. "This… this wasn't part of the ship's design."

Kore nodded. "Exactly! Someone or something left this behind."

Jetpack set the photo down, staring at the strange markings. It was a message or a warning.

The thought made his stomach churn.

"What if we weren't meant to find this?" Jetpack murmured, half to himself.

Kore exhaled sharply. "Then maybe… we shouldn't be looking for them at all."

Jetpack met his gaze, their silent fears echoing in the dimly lit office.

The Naija-One was gone, but something had followed it.

Something had sent a piece of it back.

And whatever had done it, wanted to be found.

Outside, the wind howled through the empty corridors of the aerospace facility.

And somewhere, beyond the stars, the Naija-One was waiting.

But Jetpack had no idea whether what they would find would be a friend or a foe.