Brandon stood in the icy abyss beneath the South Pole, before the massive black ship pulsing with faint, almost living light. The memories of Adam Carter still thundered in his mind, but among them was a certainty-this ship was no accident. His people, whoever they were, had visited Earth long ago. And this ship had been waiting for him, hidden under the ice, like a time capsule from his previous life.
He entered through a half-open airlock, his footsteps echoing in the metallic corridors. The interior was cold but not dead—walls were etched with strange, organic patterns that seemed to shift in the corner of his eye. Brandon sensed the ship recognized him, as if his presence awakened something dormant. In one corridor, he encountered robots-sleek, humanoid machines with gleaming gray armor and glowing eyes. They didn't attack. They didn't move. They simply watched as he passed, as if he were an expected guest. Brandon ignored them, his curiosity driving him deeper.
He reached the ship's core-a vast chamber that looked like a control center. Holographic panels glowed softly, displaying symbols in an unknown language. Everything functioned seamlessly, as if the ship needed no external power, as if it were a living organism. Brandon brushed his hand over a panel, and the holograms flickered, showing images of planets, stars, then Earth-ancient, with continents in unfamiliar shapes. His people had been here before. Maybe thousands of years ago.
Exploring further, he found a smaller, isolated room. At its center stood a glass case, illuminated by a faint glow. Inside lay a suit-straight out of the comics Adam Carter loved. Black with red and gray accents, it looked like a superhero's armor but radiated menace, as if designed for more than heroism. Brandon raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly.
"Seriously?" he muttered under his breath, stepping closer.
His reflection appeared in the glass, but for a moment, it didn't feel like him-like Adam, or something else, was staring back. The suit lay still, yet Brandon felt it calling to him, a piece of his destiny. He reached out but hesitated, his hand hovering over the glass.
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