Everyone is already panicking and in turmoil; the communication line get filled with yelling. One by one, he saw it clearly, how the black hole sucking every one of his teammates.

“Henry!” the last shout he heard before losing the last one who didn’t make it go away from it.

He gulped as he looked back at the few remaining ones.

“C-Captain, that is already more than half of our team.”

He stared at them worriedly. They—He is just risking his men’s lives. “We are going back home now. Let us withdraw from this mission.” He decided.

As their spaceship turned around, it has barely moved away from the place. The force is still strong even at the distance of miles away.

“How about them—”

“We can’t do anything about that anymore, Euvy. We will just lose everyone if we proceed with this,” he explained to the woman near him.

“Henry, they have families waiting for them!”

“So are we!” his voice roared, making everyone silent.

“We are going home now. No more buts. That is an order!”

He looked away as they looked at him, both in dismay and hopelessness. He refrained himself to show no hope, though it is so obvious.

“This is Captain Henry—” He was stopped when the line purposely cut off from their main Space Administration Office.

“What was that?!” one of them asked hysterically, throwing them a questioning look.

“We will be going home whether they approve it or not!” he commanded and sat down on his seat, leading their leave.

“Captain, look at this, there appears to be a barrier around Earth. We can’t detect any of our satellites to connect us with them!”

“That can’t be! Henry, that is ridiculous! They can’t do that to us!”

For the first time, he has found no words to calm them. He himself doesn’t know what is happening either!

“Just keep contacting them!” he yelled to stop them from buzzing around.

As they plunged towards Earth, it took them almost no courage at all to leave. If not for his order, he knows there be more casualties to happen.

“Captain…” his subordinate uttered as he pointed at the monitor. “We can’t go home.”

He shut his eyes in frustration and calmed down himself not to make decisions hastily.

“So this is what they have really planned since from the start.” He clenched his fist and glanced again at the monitor.

“We can’t die here, Captain. We have to do something!”

He turned off his communication device, giving himself a little time to think. Whether they go on with the mission, stay or insist on going back home, all of it is leading them to only one outcome—they will die.

He switched on his line, but only to get deafened by the commotion.

“Captain!”

“Sir, we need your order now!”

“Henry!”

He was about to give his command when their spaceship had already reached the perimeter, of which they should not trespass.

The next thing he heard was that the spaceship’s system has already given them a notice and started to count down.

‘SELF-DESTRUCTION INITIATED. THE SPACESHIP IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE IN THIRTY SECONDS.’