Return Of The Cosmic God

"It was deafening," Zhang explained. "The sound carried throughout the entire ship. Crew members on every deck heard it, and several reported feeling intense fear... some even described it as a primal instinct to flee..."

Joseph jumped in, gesturing wildly... "It was like one of those horror movie screams, where you just know something terrible is about to happen. And when I say loud, I mean it shook the walls. I thought the ship was about to fall apart...."

Again, Joseph added, "Oh, oh, and I totally forgot to tell you about one of the best parts!!!"

"There's more?!" Abdul said his tone a mix of sarcasm and growing unease.

"His eyes..." Joseph said, pausing for dramatic effect. "They were glowing red. Like, laser-beam, heat-vision, comic-book hero-style glowing. And not the cool kind.... more like the 'this guy could kill you with a look' kind. It was freaky..."

Abdul froze, his mouth slightly open. "Now what the actual hell is glowing eyes?"

"Yep..." Joseph said while nodding vigorously. "I swear, I thought he was about to start shooting lasers. If I hadn't already had breakfast, I probably would've fainted from fear..."

Abdul stared at me, his skepticism now replaced by genuine concern. "Shin... glowing eyes? Seriously?"

I nodded reluctantly, feeling a fresh wave of embarrassment. "It was only for a few seconds, but... yeah. Joseph's not lying about that part..."

Then Abdul asked, his voice filled with concern, 'Shin, what the hell happened? What's going on with you?"

I hesitated, my mind flashing back to the dream and the overwhelming sensations that followed. "It's... Kind of complicated..." I said finally. "I don't fully understand it myself..."

"Try," Abdul urged. "Because right now, this is started to sound like something straight out of a horror movie..."

I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. "It started with a dream..." I began. "At least, I think it was a dream. I was in this place—this hellish landscape. The sky was black, filled with red lightning and swirling clouds. There were volcanic eruptions everywhere, and the ground was covered in lava. It felt... alive. Like the entire place was alive...."

Abdul frowned, leaning forward. "Go on..."

"And then I saw it..." I continued, my voice dropping. "A black box, hovering above a molten sea of lava. It was... pulling me like it was calling to me. I couldn't resist. I walked through the lava to get to it, and when I touched it..."

"What happened?!" Abdul asked, his voice quieter now.

"It was like an explosion inside me," I said, clenching my fists. "Energy.... raw, uncontrollable—rushed through me. It was like it was tearing me apart and putting me back together at the same time. When I woke up, I screamed...."

Zhang continued her tone grave. "I forgot to mention, at the same moment, the ship was struck by a massive energy wave. It wasn't detected on our sensors beforehand, and it disrupted all systems for several seconds. The timing was too precise to be a coincidence..."

Abdul leaned forward, his jaw tightening. "An energy wave? While Shin was screaming?"

"Yes!!" Zhang said. "It was also at the same time, that Shin exhibited another anomaly that Joseph already mentioned...his eyes were glowing red...."

Abdul asked, his brow frowning, "I can't actually believe what I am listening to. I don't actually believe this theory... But did you get in contact with some cosmic radiation? You know... Like those sci-fi movies..."

I opened my mouth to answer, but Zhang spoke first. "That's what we're trying to figure out. Whatever is happening to him, it's not normal. And it's not something we can afford to ignore..."

Abdul rubbed his temples, muttering something under his breath before looking back at me. "Shin, you've got to tell me... Do you feel anything? Even now? Any lingering effects?"

I hesitated, then nodded. "It's not constant, but... yeah. Sometimes I feel it. Like something is watching me, waiting for something. It's hard to explain..."

Abdul's face darkened, his voice quiet but firm. "This isn't just about you anymore, Shin. If this is connected to that energy wave, it could affect all of us. The entire mission. The crew members. Everything...."

Zhang nodded in agreement. "That's exactly why we're monitoring the situation. Shin, if you experience anything else.... anything at all... you report it immediately. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain!!" I said, though my voice was barely above a whisper.

Abdul leaned back, exhaling heavily. "This is insane. Glowing eyes, screams, energy waves... it sounds like something out of a sci-fi horror novel. But if the captain says it's real, I believe it. Shin, just... don't keep anything from us, okay? Whatever this is, we'll deal with it together... Remember we are buddies..."

Joseph, ever the joker, added, "And if it turns out Shin's turning into a space superhero, I want the rights to write the first comic book. 'The Red-Eyed Avenger.' I'll split the profits, of course."

Despite the tension, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Thanks for the support, Joseph."

"Anytime, buddy," he said with a grin.

As the call ended, the weight of the conversation lingered in the room. Abdul's concern, Zhang's no-nonsense approach, and Joseph's attempts to lighten the mood had all driven home the same point: whatever was happening to me wasn't normal—and it wasn't over.

And deep down, I knew this was only the beginning.

Time aboard The Odyssey moved strangely. Without the natural rhythm of day and night, weeks blurred into months, and months turned into years...

By now, the crew had settled into a steady routine, and the journey remained challenging. Despite the challenges, we all eagerly counted down the days until we reached Kepler-009AV…

It was a regular day when Joseph burst into the mess hall, his expression somewhere between mischievous and determined. "Guys," he said, slamming his hands on the table where I was eating, "we have an emergency…"

I looked up, unimpressed. "Joseph, unless the ship is on fire, I'm not interested…"

"It's Captain Zhang's birthday tomorrow!!!" he declared, ignoring my lack of enthusiasm.

I blinked. "And that's an emergency because...?"

Joseph groaned, exasperated. "Because, Shin, she's the captain. The fearless leader. The glue holding this whole mission together. We can't just let it pass without doing something!!!"

The few other crew members sitting nearby exchanged uneasy glances. One of them, a young navigator named Eva, said what everyone was thinking…

"Do you really think surprising Captain Zhang is a good idea? She's... uh, intimidating…"

"What?! Are you serious?!!" Lieutenant Harris nearly choked on his coffee after hearing Joseph's proposal to celebrate Captain Zhang's birthday...

Joseph stood at the front of the room; arms crossed confidently as if he were presenting the most genius idea in the galaxy. "Of course I'm serious! It's her birthday. We can't just let it pass like it's any other day..."

Eva raised her hand cautiously. "Joseph, with all due respect, have you met Captain Zhang? She's not exactly the cake-and-balloons type..."

"Yeah…" Harris added, nodding furiously. "She's more the 'glare at you until you feel like running to the airlock' type..."

Joseph rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on!!! You're all overreacting. Zhang's not that scary… I… think…. Maybe…"

A deep silence followed as the crew exchanged glances.

"Remember the time Ensign Wright accidentally spilled coffee on her?!" Eva asked.

Joseph frowned. "So, she gave him a tiny lecture…"

"She lectured him for two hours," Harris corrected. "That man literally ended up crying..."

"Well, I'm not Ensign Wright…." Joseph said, puffing out his chest. "Besides, this isn't about fear. It's about gratitude. Zhang has led us through two years of this mission without losing her cool—not once. Doesn't she deserve a little recognition?!"

I sighed as I leaned back in my chair. "Look, Joseph, I get where you're coming from, but this could backfire spectacularly. Zhang's a private person. What if she hates the idea? Or worse, what if she just stares at us in awkward silence the whole time?!"

Joseph pointed at me dramatically. "Shin, where's your sense of adventure? You survived a screaming bloodbath…. are you seriously scared of throwing a birthday party?!"

"That was different…" I shot back. "I didn't choose to scream. This, on the other hand, is a choice—a potentially suicidal one..."

Joseph groaned, throwing his hands in the air. "You're all a bunch of cowards. Fine. If no one wants to help, I'll do it myself. I'll bake the cake, hang the decorations, play the music…"

"Stop!!" Eva interrupted, holding up a hand. "If you're in charge of everything, this really will be a disaster..."

Harris leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. "You're really committed to this, aren't you?!"

"Absolutely," Joseph replied. "Do you know how many people regret not doing something nice for their captain? Zero. But do you know how many people regret letting fear stop them from celebrating a special day? A lot. I read a study about it once..."

"You didn't read a study," I said flatly.

"Okay, I skimmed an article headline…" Joseph admitted. "But the point stands!!!"

Eva sighed. "Fine… Let's say we agree to this crazy idea. What's the plan?"

Joseph grinned, clearly thrilled after winning the first battle. "I'm glad you asked, Eva. First, we'll need decorations… nothing too flashy, but something festive enough to show we care. Then, we'll bake a cake. Maybe two, just in case the first one burns…"

"And who's baking this cake?!" Harris asked suspiciously.

"Ravi…" Joseph said without hesitation.

"What?!" Ravi's voice suddenly crackled over.

Joseph said while grinning, "Everyone knows that you can cook better than most of us on the ship… It is just a cake… You can handle it easily…"

Ravi said while looking like a man who already died, "If I die, please tell my mom…"

After much arguing and eye-rolling, the crew finally agreed to Joseph's plan. Eva was put in charge of decorating the mess hall, with Harris helping out (though he grumbled the entire time).

I was tasked with keeping Captain Zhang distracted on the day of the party, which I quickly realized was code for "stall her so she doesn't kill us when she walks in…"

Ravi, still grumbling eventually accepted the cake-baking challenge….

"Okay, team…." Joseph said, clapping his hands.

"We've got less than 24 hours to pull this off. Let's make it happen!!!"

As the crew dispersed, I leaned over to Joseph. "If this backfires, I'm blaming you..."

"You'll thank me later, Shin," he said with a wink. "Trust me—this is going to be legendary…"

The next day was a blur of last-minute preparations. The decorations were surprisingly tasteful, thanks to Eva's attention to detail. A banner reading "Happy Birthday, Captain Zhang!" hung above the entrance to the mess hall, and holographic streamers floated gently along the ceiling...

The cake, however, was another story. Ravi's first attempt ended in disaster when the batter overflowed in the ship's makeshift oven, leaving a charred, smoking mess…

"Joseph, I'm going to kill you…" Ravi growled, furiously scrubbing the oven while Harris laughed in the background.

"Hey, don't be so disheartened. Try one more time…." Joseph said, patting Ravi on the shoulder.

"Don't touch me…" Ravi snapped.

Somehow Ravi's characteristics reminded me of Abdul that day…

Somehow, the second cake turned out edible…if slightly lopsided…and was hastily decorated with frosting and replicated sprinkles…

By the time everything was finished, the crew was equal parts excited and terrified.

As the clock ticked closer to the party, Joseph gathered everyone for one last pep talk…

"Remember…" he said, pacing dramatically, "when Captain Zhang walks in, you smile. You cheer. You act like this is the best party ever thrown in the history of space exploration. Got it?"

Harris raised a hand. "What do we do if she glares at us?"

"You keep smiling," Joseph replied, unbothered. "If she glares harder, you cheer louder..."

Eva groaned. "This is either going to be amazing or a complete disaster…"

"Exactly…" Joseph said while grinning.

As we took our positions, I muttered under my breath, "Why do I feel like we're walking into an ambush?"

"Because we probably are…" Harris replied grimly.

And with that, we waited, holding our collective breath for the captain's arrival.

The mess hall was dimly lit and the decorations glowed softly under the low lighting. Holographic streamers drifted lazily across the ceiling, and the banner reading "Happy Birthday, Captain Zhang!" stood proudly at the front.

The crew had taken their positions behind makeshift hiding spots—a table here, a supply crate there. Joseph, predictably, had planted himself front and center, practically vibrating with excitement as we waited for Captain Zhang to arrive…

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" whispered Harris, peeking out from behind a food dispenser.

"No…" muttered Eva, her grip tightening on the confetti cannon she'd been assigned.

"She's going to kill us…" Harris hissed.

"Relax…" Joseph said, waving him off. "She's going to love this. I mean, who doesn't love surprises?"

"Captain Zhang…" I said flatly.

Joseph ignored me, glancing at the clock. "Okay, everyone. She's on her way. Get ready!!!..."

TO BE CONTINUED