2.

“There isn’t much time,” Dr. Marlowe replied, his tone firm. “The board wants a decision by the end of the day.”

Aeryn nodded numbly, not trusting herself to speak again. The meeting continued, but she barely heard the rest of it. Her mind was spinning, trying to grasp the enormity of what had just been asked of her.

When the meeting finally adjourned, Aeryn stood on shaky legs and made her way out of the conference room. She needed air, needed to get away from the oppressive atmosphere that seemed to be closing in around her. She walked quickly down the corridor, her footsteps echoing in the otherwise silent hallway.

As she turned a corner, she nearly collided with two junior scientists from her team, both of whom stopped short when they saw her. Their conversation halted abruptly, and Aeryn could sense the tension in their posture.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, trying to brush past them, but something in their expressions caught her attention. They looked… guilty. Like they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t.

Before she could question them, one of them—the younger of the two, a recent graduate named Clara—blurted out, “We didn’t mean for you to hear that.”

“Hear what?” Aeryn asked, her heart rate spiking.

The other scientist, a tall man named Lucas, shot Clara a warning look, but it was too late. Aeryn was already piecing together the fragments of their conversation she’d overheard as she approached.

“You said something about me being teleported,” Aeryn said, her voice trembling slightly.

Clara looked down, unable to meet Aeryn’s gaze, while Lucas shifted uncomfortably. “It

’s just… we were talking about the mission,” he said slowly. “There are rumors… well, more than rumors… that the company’s plan is more dangerous than they’re letting on.”

“What do you mean?” Aeryn pressed, feeling a cold dread settle in her stomach.

Lucas hesitated, then finally spoke. “We’ve heard that the teleportation technology isn’t as stable as Dr. Marlowe made it sound. There’ve been… accidents. The last test run didn’t go as planned, and the subject never made it back.”

Aeryn’s blood ran cold. “What?”

Clara, finally lifting her gaze, added in a hushed tone, “They’re desperate, Aeryn. The company’s staked everything on this mission. They need it to succeed, no matter the cost.”

Aeryn took a step back, her mind reeling. It felt like the walls were closing in on her. She’d always known there were risks in their work, but this? This was something else entirely. They were talking about sending her to an alien planet with unproven technology, knowing full well that she might never return.

She needed to get out of there. Without another word, Aeryn turned and walked away, her thoughts racing. She needed time to think, to figure out what she was going to do. But as she left the building, the reality of her situation began to sink in.

Aeryn had always prided herself on her resilience, her ability to handle pressure and face challenges head-on. But this time, the stakes were higher than they’d ever been before. Her life was on the line, and the people she’d trusted were willing to gamble with it for the sake of their mission.

As she stepped out into the crisp morning air, Aeryn felt a wave of fear wash over her, stronger than anything she’d ever experienced. For the first time in her career, she didn’t know if she was ready to face what lay ahead. And as she walked away from Astrotech’s headquarters, she realized that her life would never be the same again.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that everything she’d worked for, everything she believed in, was crumbling around her. The thought of being teleported to an alien planet alone, with no guarantee of safety or return—filled her with a terror that she could barely contain. Aeryn knew she had a decision to make, and whatever choice she made, it would change the course of her life forever.

whilere, In the heart of the cosmos, where time follows and the laws of physics were only mere suggestions, there stood a kingdom unmatched in its grandeur and might. This was the realm of Alex, the King of the Universe, a sovereign feared and revered across galaxies. His palace, forged from the hardest metals in the known universe and gleaming with a cold, metallic luster, towered over a city that spanned entire solar systems. It was a place where the very air hummed with power, and where the energy of countless stars was channeled to fuel the kingdom's vast empire.

Alex, the ruler of this mighty domain, was a being unlike any other. He stood taller than any human, his form a masterpiece of cosmic engineering. His skin was not flesh but a sleek, impenetrable alloy that shimmered with a golden hue, reflecting the light of a thousand distant suns. His eyes, glowing orbs of pure energy, held the secrets of the universe, and his two golden horns, spiraling from his head, were the symbols of his divine right to rule. These horns, crafted from the rarest of cosmic materials, were said to channel the very essence of the universe, granting him powers beyond imagination.But for all his strength and dominion, Alex was incomplete. There was a power he lacked, a power that could only be unlocked through a union—a marriage. And not just any marriage, but one with a human, the only beings in the universe whose essence could unlock the full potential of his might. It was an ancient decree, written in the stars long before his reign, and it haunted him every day.