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Creed said, leaning back in his chair. He interlaced his fingers and placed them behind his head. “I think everyone aboard the ship might know you by name, thanks to the stunt you pulled on the shuttle.”

“Wonderful,” I said, hoping we could just move the process along. “Where do you need me first today?”

“The doors for the pens you were working on still need finishing.” Boss Creed sat up straight in his chair and reached for a data pad on his desk. “You should be able to complete that in the space of a few days. I have your gear down there waiting for you.”

“Sounds good,” I said, already heading for the door. If I could get out of this conversation without talking anymore, it would be a small miracle.

“Hey, Dean,” he called me back.

“Sir?” I returned, pausing at the door.

“You did a good thing coming,” he said, nodding at me.

I’d know this man for a few years and he’d never once given me a compliment. It was surprising.

I just nodded and moved out of his office.

There was a small line of mechanics waiting outside of his door to receive their own assignments. Stacy was one of them.

“Hey, you figure out what they’re having you do on the ship?” she asked with a mischievous smile. “Cleaning out the sanitation receptacles?”

“Nothing that glamorous,” I said, heading down the hall with a wave.

This level was reserved for the ship maintenance crew, which now included me. There were various names on doors set in plaques: engineer, medical, food supplies, and more.

Reaching the end of the hall near the elevator, I found the area completely empty. That same feeling that made my hair stand up on end raced across the back of my neck—something telling me that I was being watched.

I casually entered the elevator, then looked back down the hall to see if someone was behind me. It was clear.

I pressed the holographic display, choosing the cargo level. The doors on the cylinder-shaped elevator began to close, and as they did, a head peeked out the left side. The movement was so fast, I could barely focus on it before the doors closed.

I couldn’t tell who it was.

You need to chill out, man, I told myself, shaking my head.

The cargo doors were sealed now that the journey had begun. Only those granted access would be able to enter, due to the shields along the walls. I placed my right hand on a screen set into the side of the double steel doors. It scanned my prints and beeped a cheerful hello. A moment later, the doors opened, and I was let inside.

The cargo area was packed from floor to ceiling with crates and supplies for the six-week trip. Along the right and left sides of the room, there were pens with thick gates that rolled downward from the ceiling and locked into the floor.

Just as Boss Creed promised, my gear was waiting for me near the back end of the area. My feet hit the steel floor underneath me, nearly echoing in the massive chamber.

I reached down, grabbed my belt, and secured it on my waist. The weight of my tools on my hips was comforting, something familiar for me to feel in an unfamiliar world. The other tools I needed were neatly placed in a pile beside the door I’d be working on.

My torch, gloves, mask, and more were all there waiting for me like old friends. While I was securing my belt, I felt a presence behind me.

My right hand traveled to the side of my hip where a large wrench rested in a side holder. I didn’t grab it, not yet. My fingers rested against the metal, ready to use it if I needed to.

I turned my head to the left to get a view behind me.

There was no one there.

Was I losing my mind?

Across the cargo bay on the opposite side of the open area, another row of pens was set into the wall. The massive rolling gate on the last pen was opened ever so slightly. A gap no more than two meters high between the ground and the gate caught my eye.

Although the room was brightly lit thanks to overhanging lights, the way the shadow played between the floor and the empty space between the gate, it was hard to tell if it was really open at all.

The sound of rushed, angry breathing filled the air. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound human.

I knew it was none of my business, but all the warnings were going off in my head. There was something going on here that wasn’t right. I thought back to the wooden boxes with holes that I loaded onto the ship. The ones that moved on their own—the ones Elon told me not to worry about.

I picked up the wrench from the side of my belt as I walked toward the barely open gate. The sound disappeared again.

My heart rate was drumming quickly in my chest. I took a long, slow breath to try and calm myself.

I reached the pen, examining the lock that usually held it to the ground. It was broken, forced open by some kind of tool using leverage to pop it free from the steel floor.

More concerning was the sign that wasn’t there two days before when I was working on the pen doors. A yellow hazard symbol was painted on the door with a clear warning underneath. The warning read:

Authorized Personnel Only. Under No Circumstances Is This Pen to be Opened.

Wonderful, I thought to myself with a sigh.

Getting out of the cargo bay post-haste and telling Boss Creed or even one of the suits on board might have been the best idea. I could say I heard strange sounds and the lock was broken on the pen.

Once again, I’d be the center of attention. Maybe I should have just let someone else stumble upon this like I had, but Boss Creed knew I was down here.

Instead of debating all