Emily couldn't believe what she was seeing. The artifact had grown in size and power since their last visit. Its pulsing energy filled the cavern, threatening to consume everything in its path.
Emily turned to Marcus. "We have to stop it. Now."
Marcus scowled at her. "You expect me to believe this thing is dangerous? That it's worth risking the entire mission?"
"It's not just the mission at stake," Emily said. "It's the lives of everyone on this station. This artifact is beyond anything we've ever encountered. We don't know what it's capable of."
Marcus snorted. "You're just trying to cover your ass, Park. You don't want to admit that you made a mistake."
Emily felt a flash of anger. "I made a mistake, yes. But that's why I'm here. To fix it. To prevent anyone else from making the same mistake."
Marcus shook his head. "I can't let you do this. I have my orders."
Emily clenched her fists. "What orders? To put the lives of your crew in danger? To ignore a threat that could destroy us all?"
Marcus glared at her. "I won't let you sabotage this mission, Park. You're done here."
He turned to his men. "Take her back to the ship. Lock her up if you have to."
Emily tensed, ready to fight. But she knew she couldn't take on an entire security team. She had to think of another way to stop the artifact.
As she was being led away, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A flicker of movement in the shadows.
She turned her head and saw a figure emerge from the darkness. It was one of the alien creatures they had encountered before, but this one was different. It was glowing with the same energy as the artifact.
Emily's heart raced. Had the artifact infected the creatures too?
The creature raised its arms and let out a piercing scream. Emily felt a wave of energy wash over her, knocking her off her feet.
She struggled to get up, but the creature was already upon her. Its glowing tendrils wrapped around her, pulling her closer.
Emily felt a surge of panic. Was this it? Was she going to die here, alone and forgotten?
But then she heard a voice. Marcus's voice.
He was shouting orders to his men, telling them to evacuate the cavern and get to safety.
Emily realized what he was doing. He was sacrificing himself to give her a chance to stop the artifact.
She struggled against the creature's grasp, trying to break free. But it was too strong. She was going to die.
And then, something strange happened. The artifact's energy seemed to pulse and flicker. Emily felt a surge of pain as the creature's grip tightened.
But then, the energy dissipated. The creature fell to the ground, lifeless.
Emily looked up and saw the artifact, dimmer now. Marcus was lying on the ground, motionless.
Emily felt a surge of grief. Marcus had sacrificed himself for her. For the crew.
She crawled over to him and checked his pulse. It was weak, but there.
She lifted his head and cradled it in her lap. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
But then she felt something else. A flicker of energy. Not from the artifact, but from Marcus.
She looked down and saw that his hand was glowing. A soft blue light, pulsing in time with his heartbeat.
Emily realized what had happened. Marcus had absorbed the artifact's energy. And in doing so, he had neutralized it.
Emily didn't know how long she sat there, holding Marcus's body. It could have been minutes or hours. Time seemed to lose all meaning in the face of the tragedy.
Finally, she forced herself to stand up. She needed to get back to the ship and tell the others what had happened.
As she walked towards the entrance of the cavern, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to see one of Marcus's security team, his face grim.
"What happened?" she asked.
"We managed to get most of the crew out, but...we lost a few. The artifact...it was too powerful."
Emily felt a wave of sadness wash over her. They had failed. They had come all this way, risking their lives, only to fail.
But then she remembered Marcus's hand. His glowing hand.
She turned back to the security team member. "Wait," she said. "What happened to Marcus's body?"
The man looked confused. "We left him in the cavern. We thought..."
Emily didn't wait for him to finish. She ran back into the cavern, towards the artifact.
When she reached Marcus's body, she saw that his hand was still glowing. But now, it was brighter. Stronger.
Emily felt a surge of hope. She knew what she had to do.
She took a deep breath and reached out her hand. She placed it over Marcus's glowing hand and closed her eyes.
At first, she felt nothing. But then, she felt a surge of energy. It was like a jolt of electricity, coursing through her body.
Emily opened her eyes and saw that Marcus's hand was now dimmer. But her hand was glowing too.
She smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment. She had absorbed the artifact's energy, just like Marcus had.
Emily stood up, feeling stronger than ever. She knew what she had to do now.
She turned back towards the entrance of the cavern and started running. She had to find the rest of the crew. She had to tell them that they hadn't failed.
That they could still save the station.
As she ran, Emily felt a surge of power coursing through her veins. The energy from the artifact was still there, but now it was under her control.
She smiled, feeling invincible. The artifact may have been dangerous, but now she had the power to stop it.
And she would stop it, no matter what it took. She was Emily Park, and she was not afraid.