Chapter 2: The Call to Action
Zara paced back and forth in her room, the silence pressing in like a heavy blanket. Her mind raced with questions she didn't have answers to yet. Why had the moon base gone dark? Who were those strange robotic creatures? And most importantly, were her parents safe?
Her wrist communicator buzzed suddenly, jolting her. It was Kian.
"Zara! I just saw the news—there's an emergency at Lunaris Base. They're saying an alien invasion, or something like it!" His voice was urgent but steady.
"We don't have time to wait," Zara said. "The Earth rescue team will take 48 hours to get there. That's way too long."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Kian asked.
"We go there ourselves."
A silence followed. Kian's gasp was the only sound.
"Are you serious? That's... insane!"
Zara grinned. "You know me. When have I ever done anything else?"
Without wasting time, Zara grabbed her toolkit, filled with gadgets she'd invented, and threw on her utility jacket. She pulled out the solar-powered scanner she'd been working on. It could detect unusual energy sources and might help them find their parents.
Kian arrived minutes later, his backpack full of tools and wires clinking. "I brought the multi-tool and EMP device, just in case."
Together, they headed to the edge of the city, past the glowing skyscrapers and neon signs, toward the old hangar where rusted spaceships were left to gather dust.
Zara's heart pounded with a mix of fear and excitement. This was her chance to finally reach beyond Earth—and save her family.
As they approached the hangar, Zara whispered, "Ready for a moon adventure, Kian?"
"Always," he replied, a confident smile spreading across his face.
They pushed open the heavy doors and stepped inside the dusty cavern. There, nestled between other forgotten ships, was their ticket to space—a small, battered emergency shuttle they called the Starhopper.
It might have looked old, but Kian was already examining the engines, wires, and control panels.
"Give me a few minutes," he said, "and this old beauty will be ready to fly."
Zara looked up at the stars shining through the hangar's open roof. Whatever awaited them on the Moon, she knew this was only the beginning.