The Echoing Silence

Captain Jace Korr stood in the observation deck of the Reverence, staring out at the infinite expanse of space. The stars seemed distant, their light swallowed by the vast emptiness. The crew had been traveling for weeks, following a signal—a distress call. The signal had been faint, barely a whisper against the backdrop of the cosmos, but it was undeniable. Someone, or something, needed help.

“Captain, we’ve arrived,” First Officer Lara Gray’s voice came over the intercom.

Jace straightened, turning toward the door. “On my way.”

The Reverence had arrived at the coordinates, an uncharted part of the galaxy where no star systems existed, just a vast, empty void. Yet, here they were, orbiting a small, seemingly dead planet. Its surface was barren, uninhabited. The only thing remarkable about it was the faint signal, still pulsing weakly, emanating from the planet’s surface.

“I don’t like this,” Lara muttered as Jace joined her at the helm.

“What don’t you like?” Jace asked, his voice laced with tension.

“I don’t know, Captain. It just feels wrong,” she said, glancing at the planet below. “There’s nothing here, yet that signal’s been consistent. There should be nothing alive on that planet.”

“Let’s find out,” Jace said, his gaze fixed on the screen. “Prepare a landing party. I want to know where that signal’s coming from.”

As the Reverence descended through the atmosphere, the planet’s barren surface came into view. Nothing but jagged rocks, dust storms, and miles of gray terrain. They landed near a large crater that seemed to radiate a strange energy. The signal was louder now, the static filling the shuttle’s cabin. Something was there.

“Stay alert,” Jace ordered, his voice low. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

The team disembarked, the air cold and thin, the ground beneath their boots unsettlingly solid. They moved toward the crater’s edge, where the signal seemed to originate. The source was a structure—ancient, metallic, and half-buried beneath layers of sand and stone. Its surface shimmered in a way that suggested it was more than just a simple building; it pulsed with an otherworldly energy.

“This place is a mess,” Lara said, inspecting the structure’s exterior. “Looks like it’s been here for millennia.”

Jace nodded but didn’t answer. He was already moving toward the entrance, a large door partially open, as though someone had forced their way inside. The signal grew louder as they approached, its eerie hum vibrating through the air.

Inside, the darkness was thick, oppressive. The team flicked on their flashlights, casting long shadows on the walls of the corridor. It stretched deeper into the structure, leading them to a central chamber.

There, in the center of the room, lay a device—an enormous, circular object. It was suspended in midair, surrounded by shifting energy fields. The signal was coming from it, and as they drew closer, it became clear: the device was not a beacon or a transmitter. It was alive.

“Captain, this doesn’t feel right,” Lara said, her voice quivering with unease. “That thing… it’s pulsing like a heartbeat.”

“I see it,” Jace replied, his hand hovering near his sidearm. “Stand back. Let’s get a closer look.”

As Jace stepped forward, a low hum filled the room, and the object began to pulse more violently. The walls seemed to shudder in response. Suddenly, a voice broke through the static in their comms, so faint it was barely audible.

“Help us… please… before it’s too late…”

Jace’s breath caught in his throat. The voice was distorted, alien, but there was something familiar about it. It was speaking to them—begging them.

“Who are you?” Jace whispered, though he knew it wouldn’t answer. But the device did respond. The lights flickered, and then—silence. The hum stopped, and for a moment, everything was still.

Then, the voice came again, but this time, it wasn’t over the comms. It was in their heads.

“It is not what you think. It is you, trapped. It is always you.”

The words felt like a weight pressing on Jace’s chest, suffocating him. His vision blurred for a moment, and he staggered back, catching himself on the wall.

“Captain?” Lara called, rushing to his side. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” Jace gasped, shaking his head. “I… I heard something. In my mind.”

Lara grabbed his arm. “We need to leave, now!”

The walls of the chamber began to pulse in sync with the device, the energy fields becoming more erratic. Suddenly, a sharp, deafening sound erupted, like a thousand voices screaming in unison.

“Escape… before the loop begins again.”

And then, the ground beneath them shifted.

Jace’s heart raced. The structure was beginning to collapse. “We need to get out of here, now!”

The team turned to flee, but the hallways seemed to stretch and warp, twisting in impossible ways. The structure had become a maze, each turn leading them back to the same room, the same device.

“Dammit, we’re trapped!” Lara yelled, panic rising in her voice. “What’s happening?”

“We have to destroy it,” Jace said, his mind racing. “That’s the only way.”

They set charges, but as the seconds ticked away, the device’s pulsing grew faster, more desperate. The voices in their heads intensified, becoming overwhelming.

“It is already too late.“

The explosion tore through the structure, but it didn’t matter. The device wasn’t destroyed. It had already reset, and they were back where they started—inside the structure, standing before the device.

Jace’s knees buckled as he realized the truth.

They were caught in a time loop, trapped by the very device they had come to investigate. And no matter what they did, they would never escape.