The rain didn't fall like water. It fell like whispers.
London's alleys were breathing, slick with night and secrets.
A couple walked under one streetlight, too young to be scared, too in love to care. The girl laughed—soft, sugar-sweet. The guy kissed her temple, murmured something.
Then they saw him.
Naked. Green. Glowing like something pulled from the womb of a dead planet.
Not human. Not pretending.
Just… there.
The boy stopped walking. The girl held his arm tighter.
"...You see that, right?" she whispered.
"Yeah," he said, barely audible.
The thing didn't move. It didn't blink.
It just opened its mouth.
A maw. Wider than logic. Blacker than the sky.
They didn't scream. She whispered, "I guess the end finally came."
And it did.
Their bodies were pulled in with a suction that didn't make sound. Like breath drawn through silk.
One second they existed.
The next—they didn't.
Just a puddle.
Just quiet.
EARTH – LEONARDO'S PENTHOUSE – 02:16 AM
"Still no fucking signal," Leonardo growled, pacing the length of his marble floor like a lion denied meat.
He jabbed the screen again. Static.
Again. Nothing.
He slammed his palm against the console. "LOONNDOOOO—!"
Incoming call request – C. Theresa
He exhaled like steam. "Accept."
The screen flickered. Caitlyn Theresa appeared in dim lighting, wearing only a deep violet sports bra, her long hair messy, a glass of dark liquor in hand.
"Hey, boss," she purred. "Miss me?"
Leonardo's eyes twitched. "This is serious, Caitlyn."
"Oh, I know," she said, sipping. "You're still mad your toy ship didn't report in."
He leaned in. "They were never headed to Venus."
"Well duh. That's old news."
His jaw clenched. "Do you know something?"
"I always know something. But I like to watch men squirm. It's fun."
He leaned back, furious. "You're still with me on this, right?"
"Depends," she whispered, swirling her glass.
Then, something caught her eye. A photo on her desk.
She didn't mean to look. But it was there. A memory.
Yeh Moon. That crooked smile. The faint scar across her cheek. Eyes full of stories and silence.
Caitlyn froze.
Her fingers tightened around the stem of the glass.
"Don't worry," she whispered to herself. "He'll pay soon."
Leonardo blinked. "What?"
"Nothing," she snapped. "Get some sleep, Leo. You look old when you're angry."
She ended the call.
MILITARY BASE – LOCKER AREA
Lana stood by her locker, typing a report halfheartedly, hair tied tight, uniform sharp enough to cut glass.
Footsteps.
"Still here?" came Lasso's voice, calm and curious.
She didn't turn. "Someone has to keep the place from collapsing."
"You didn't go home like the others. Scared of soft mattresses?"
She glanced over her shoulder. "Maybe I enjoy peace and silence."
He leaned against the doorframe. "You don't strike me as the silent type."
"You don't know me."
"Yet."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're flirting."
"I'm observing."
"You're annoying."
He smirked. "You stayed. I stayed. Fate?"
She stepped closer, slow, deliberate. "Keep talking and I'll show you fate with a knee to the ribs."
"You say that like it's not foreplay."
She stared at him for half a second too long.
Then walked off.
He didn't follow.
But he smiled.
KIMBERLY – HOSPITAL ROOM
Kimberly sat beside her mother's bed, hoodie over her knees, eyes tired but fierce.
Her mother's hand was thin. Cold.
"I'll do anything for you, Mom," she whispered, holding on. "Everything. Just… please stay."
The beeping didn't change.
She looked away. Bit her lip.
Didn't cry.
Not yet.
ANNA & KIARA – THEIR LIVING ROOM
"I swear to God," Anna muttered, "if you lick that popsicle any slower, I'm gonna report you for seduction."
Kiara grinned, tongue dragging across the edge. "What, you jealous of the popsicle?"
"I'm jealous of its peace and quiet."
Kiara swung her legs up on the couch, shorts riding higher. "You need to relax, darling. Staring at screens all day gives you square soul."
Anna sat beside her. "You're impossible."
"And flexible," Kiara added with a wink.
Anna smirked despite herself.
Then, quiet.
"Steven," Anna said.
Kiara's expression shifted.
"You think something's wrong?" Anna asked.
Kiara leaned back, thoughtful. "He walks different. Like... smooth. Too smooth."
"He hasn't cracked a joke in days."
"No sarcasm. No chaos. Just… silence."
They both paused.
Then Kiara added, "You think he's dead inside or just hot now?"
Anna rolled her eyes and stole a bite of the popsicle.
TAZE – HIS ROOM
Taze stared at his screen.
Typed: "Hey, Kimberly, you free tomorrow? Want to talk?"
Paused.
Deleted.
Typed instead: "I swear to God if You are going to eat popcorn with that murder face again I'm kicking him out the airlock."
He meant to send it to Steven.
Hit send.
Then realized…
It went to Kimberly.
"Fuck."
Immediate panic.
He typed: "SORRY that was for Steven ignore that popcorn thing I—"
Seen.
No reply.
Taze fell back onto the bed, hand over face.
CITY – NIGHTFALL
The monster walked on two feet, but it wasn't walking.
It glided. Moved like memory.
Through windows, rooftops, sewers.
A woman took out the trash behind a bar. Her scream didn't happen. Just a blur.
Gone.
A man at a gas station blinked—and the green creature stood behind him in the security mirror.
Next frame—empty.
In a quiet living room, a baby monitor buzzed. A shadow passed.
Then stopped.
Then moved again.
The family would never know why their baby was crying at 2:17am and never again after that.
The monster didn't roar.
It absorbed.
Bodies folded into its mass. No leftovers. No noise.
Only the echo of life vanishing.
LEONARDO'S PENTHOUSE – MORNING
The door slammed behind Londo, his coat wet, face blank.
Leonardo stood, veins visible in his forehead.
"You weren't going to Venus."
"We did," Londo replied flatly.
"Gestronio isn't Venus."
"Minor malfunction. The ship rerouted."
Leonardo stormed toward him. "Bullshit! You vanished. No comms. No trace. You think I'm some secretary?"
"I think you're overreacting."
Leonardo shoved him.
Londo didn't flinch.
"You pulled something," Leonardo hissed. "And this is your last free ride. From now on, I'm watching your every move."
Londo adjusted his sleeve. "Duly noted."
"Also," Leonardo added, stepping back. "There's a meteor cluster inbound from the Venus sector. Clean it. Fast. I want results before Parliament breathes down my ass."
Londo turned to leave.
Leonardo stared at his back.
"You're hiding something. And I will find it."
Londo didn't answer.
HANGAR – DEPARTURE
The ALKEN crew stood in formation, gear packed, expressions unreadable.
Londo's voice rang through the bay.
"We launch for Venus in one hour. Meteor cluster to be neutralized. Standard recon. Full silence protocol. Any questions?"
No one spoke.
The tension was thick.
Then Steven arrived.
He walked slowly, steps measured.
His face calm. Eyes… deeper.
On his shirt—just beneath the collar—a drop of dried blood.
Taze saw it first.
Anna turned sharply.
Lana narrowed her eyes.
Steven said nothing.
Anna stepped toward him.
"Is that… blood?"
He touched it casually.
"It ran down my chin."
Pause.
"That's all."
Everyone stared.
Even Kimberly.
She smiled faintly.
Lana exchanged a glance with Taze.
Something unspoken passed between them.
SHIP – LIFTOFF
The engines roared.
ALKEN rose toward the stars, toward Venus, toward the unknown.
In the rear chamber, Steven sat alone.
He looked out at space.
His reflection warped against the glass.
Inside his mind:
"Venus... Let's see how quiet extinction can be."
To be continued