"Alright, we're excavating deeper in the South Pole region."
The drill stops.
Something dark clings to the ice.
"A parasite?""Interesting. Get it to the lab."
Inside the containment room, the organism twitches behind glass.
"No reaction so far.""Try organic tissue."
A severed human finger drops in.
Nothing.
Then the finger moves.
"What the?""It's controlling it.""Look at the scan...""IT'S CONTROLLING THE NUCLEUS."
Silence.
"Drop it.""DROP IT."
The container slips.Glass shatters.
The parasite spreads fast...too fast.
Static floods the screen.
SIGNAL LOST
Leo pressed his forehead against the airplane window.
Clouds stretched endlessly below, bright and soft, like nothing bad could ever happen. The sun reflected off the desert far beneath them.
"Are we there yet?" Sarah asked.
Leo sighed. "Almost."
She swung her legs nervously, gripping the seat. Leo noticed but didn't say anything. Flying always did this to her.
The plane hummed. Calm. Normal.
A flight attendant walked past. People laughed quietly. Someone opened a snack.
Leo relaxed.
Sarah then shifted in her seat again.
"Calm down," their mother said gently. "We're close to Jordan now."
"Really?" Sarah asked.
Their father glanced at the window. "Really. You'll feel the landing soon."
Sarah nodded, trying to stay still. Leo gave her a quick look, half-annoyed, half-protective.
The plane dipped slightly.
Outside, the desert grew clearer. Roads. Buildings. Heat waiting below.
Everything felt normal.
Too normal.