"Theseus, please go wake your brother," their mother said softly, brushing a hand along his chin.
The small boy nodded, an apple in one hand."'Mkay, Mommy."
He climbed the stairs, still chewing, and nudged the bedroom door open. Prometheus was already awake, sitting up in bed, eyes distant.
"What are you thinking about, Pram?"
Prometheus blinked, then smiled."Right. School. Forgot."
He stretched, rolled out of bed, and wandered off to the bathroom.
Theseus blinked. That was… easy.
Normally, he had to beg Prometheus to get up. Shake him. Pull the blanket. Though they were twins, they were nothing alike. Theseus was shy, diligent, quiet. Prometheus was charming, theatrical, effortless.
And Theseus adored him for it.
Whatever Theseus wanted to be, Prometheus already was.
Later that morning
Seeing them side by side at the table — dressed, groomed, eating together — almost brought their mother to tears.
She never let them see her pain. But behind the smile, she was dying. The cancer came just as Theseus graduated from Space Academy. Prometheus had already left.
Theseus stayed.
"I'll send you to Mars if I have to," he swore. And he did.
He pulled strings. Lied. Smuggled her aboard a mining vessel — the MAST, bound for Mars, where advanced radiation therapy still held hope.
Present Day — DEEP Mining Launch Bay, Moon
"Final systems check. Clearance for launch, Captain Norman?"
Theseus nodded, strapping in."Permission granted. Initiate liftoff."
A low rumble. The hum of power cells.
Then—silence.
Everything shut down. Cold. Dead.
He unstrapped, tense."Zelensky, report. What just happened?"
"We've been locked out from Base control, sir."
"Why?"
Before the engineer could answer, the door hissed open.Boots. Guns. A dozen black-armored guards swept in, flanking a suited officer with a cold stare.
"Theseus Norman, Captain of the DEEP vessel," the man said, holding up a badge."I'm Officer Barrow of the SMRA. You're under arrest for unauthorized smuggling of a civilian onto the MAST… resulting in her death."
"...What?" Theseus staggered."She's dead?"
He took a step forward, but a guard raised a stun baton and slammed it into his chest.
Electric pain swallowed him whole.
"What… happened… to moth—"
Darkness.
Lunar Detention Facility — Level 7
A distant buzz. Lights like needles. A smell of bleach and cold steel.
"...Wake up."
"Come on, Norman. On your feet."
Theseus opened his eyes. His tongue felt like ash. A guard in gray shoved his boot lightly against his shoulder.
"You're lucky," the man muttered, offering a hand. "Most don't get offers in here."
The cell was pristine. Floors waxed. Walls seamless, silver-blue. Every corner sterile. The only imperfection was the man lying in it.
"Worked here fifteen years," the guard said, leading him down a narrow corridor. "No one gets out. But you… hoho. You ran a mining ship. That's rare."
The hallway buzzed with artificial lighting, footsteps echoing like heartbeats.
They reached a hexagonal chamber. A lone figure sat at the table inside, waiting.
As Theseus stepped in, he froze.
He knew that face.
-
Theseus stepped into the chamber. A middle aged Officer- No, a Colonel sat on a chair across for him.
Colonel Barrow looks up at him and says: "Here you are, Captain. I thought I forgot what you looked like."
Theseus glared: "Not me, I never did forget."
"Well, please take a seat before we talk."
He sits on the chair across from him as Barrow places his hands on the table. With a calculated look, he asks: "Why do you hate me, I was just doing my job?"
Theseus turns his eyes away as he hears: "But that's not what I'm here for."
Theseus tightened his jaw."You're here to finish the job."
Barrow chuckled, dry and mechanical."If I wanted you executed, Theseus, you'd be floating above the Moon in a bag."
Another pause. Barrow slid a small data-slate across the table.
"Instead, I have a proposal." Theseus arches his brow: "What is this?"
As Theseus picks it up, he looks at what seems to be:
"A mining trip to Saturn?"
Barrow nods: "Titan, to be exact."
There were a thousand questions Norman had but he asked one: "Why is it confidential?" He looked at the top right corner which said: Top Secret
"Like it says, it's top secret." The colonel calmly avoids answering outright: "Let's just say you will be helping Earth and making history."
A beat. A thump and then click. 'It's related to the rebellion.' He nods.
"What you need to focus on is your reward for participation." Noticing Theseus' expression, the man changes the topic.
"You will receive full Councilor Pardon the moment you agree to work for us." He continues: "And that includes a return of the DEEP mining ship along with all your flying rights."
The offer was manipulative, a pardon for a secret mission with no idea of the danger. But more than that, it was too tempting to refuse.
There was a slide of a chair. Someone stood up and then two hands shook.
Rebellion. Lies. A crew of god-knows-what to end a mutiny. And a second chance so unexpected like oxygen in space.
He didn't trust Barrow. But he knew the system didn't send men like this unless they were scared.
And fear… meant leverage.