Voyage to the Origin. Book I

`Atmosphere: Suitable for you. Radiation level: Normal. Biological signatures: Detected.` – the implant reported and then fell silent.

– Someone lives on this planet? What do you think, Gena?

Gena slowly turned to me and spoke.

– Your copies.

– What do you mean? Are we in a parallel world?

– Possibly. Look, – he pointed a claw at the screen – see this? Moscow. Here's your house, here's your yard. Here are the cars from your time, just like on your planet. Here are people walking.

I zoomed in on the screen. And indeed, there were people, cars scurrying back and forth. The city was living its ordinary life. The cars looked very much like ours, but somehow moved unnaturally. I moved the camera to my district. The houses looked like houses, very similar to ours. There was my building, my entrance. Parked cars lined the street. But still, everything felt somehow unusual. I'd say wrong. The first thing that caught my eye was that all the cars were parked in a single line. Hoods facing the same direction. Well, where in my Moscow did people park like that? You just dumped the car where you could. But here, there was order. I moved the camera to the city center. There were traffic jams, but not a single car on the shoulder. People walked to work in single file in both directions. Well, they don't walk like that where I'm from. Where are the scooter riders? Where are those bastards? They weren't here.

– Gena, – I turned to him – this is some kind of surrealism. People don't walk like that where I'm from, and cars aren't parked like that. Everything here is somehow correct. There's order.

Gena nodded his head.

– I can assume, Petya, that this is a copy of your planet. It was created to test various scenarios for the development of your race. But here's what bothers me. – he moved the camera to where Antarctica should have been. – Look, there's nothing here. No snow, no ice, just sands.

I studied the sands, and then I saw pyramids, other structures.

– But that's Egypt. What's it doing in the northern part of the planet? And why is there no ice here?

– I don't know… – Gena drawled and started moving the camera across the planet again. I leaned back in the chair and felt nausea rising in my throat. Gena turned to me and said:

– Pete, you need rest. Here's my proposal. We'll stay in orbit for now. You go to your cabin now and rest. – he raised a paw – Don't argue. I can see you need rest. One day won't change anything. Then we'll land on the planet. We'll see what's what. And decide where to go next.

– Agreed, – I said doomfully and stood up. As I approached the bulkhead, Gena said to me:

– And we'll talk. I think it's a good opportunity to chat.

– Okay, – I replied without turning and headed to my cabin. Staggering on trembling legs, I made it to the cabin. Without undressing, I flopped onto the bed. As soon as my head touched the pillow, I fell asleep.

***

I woke up from a sharp burning pain in my temples. Again. For the first few seconds, I thought it was another side effect of the implant, but the pain was different—sharp, piercing, as if someone was screwing a red-hot needle into my skull.

`External influence detected. Source: Unknown. Threat: High.`

I jumped up from the bunk, clutching my head.

– Gena! – I shouted, but there was no answer.

The room around me had changed. The ship's walls became semi-transparent, and strange symbols—the same ones I saw in the ruins on Earth—showed through them. They pulsed as if breathing, and with every moment the pain in my head intensified.

`Pyotr…`

I heard a voice. No, it wasn't the implant. The voice was alien. Muffled, as if coming from underground.

– Who's there?! – I rushed to the door, but it wouldn't open.

`You have come… but you are too late.`

The walls shuddered, and before me appeared… a Being. Faceless. With black, empty eyes. It stood half a meter from me, not moving, not breathing.

– What the hell are you?! – I recoiled, bumping into the bunk.

The being slowly raised its hand and touched my forehead. The world exploded in colors. Pain. Endless, internal pain. I fell through layers of reality, plunging into someone else's memories that weren't mine. I saw cities being consumed by flame. Beings turning to dust. Stars going out one after another. Then I saw *them*. The beings of the Darkness. They didn't just kill—they erased. Souls. Memory. The very fabric of reality, worlds. And then… I saw myself. I stood among ruins, clutching the same purple crystal. My face was mine, but the eyes… the eyes were filled with darkness, black as space itself.

`You are a mistake, Pyotr. You were not supposed to survive!`

I wanted to scream, but I couldn't.

`They are coming. They are already here.`

After that, the being disappeared. The world returned. I came to on the floor of the cabin, drenched in cold sweat. The door swung open, and Gena appeared in the doorway.

– Petya?! What happened?

– It… it was here… – I struggled to get up, leaning against the wall.

– Who?

– The Darkness.

– Fuck, – he swore loudly. Gena froze. His eyes narrowed to slits.

– Are you sure? That it was *it*? Maybe the Archons?

– It spoke to me! Said that I… – I fell silent.

– What?

– That I am a mistake.

Gena was silent for a few seconds, then turned sharply.

– Right. That's enough rest. Get ready, we're landing.

***

Before landing, Gena and I decided to name this planet "Earth-2." It was very similar to my home planet. When I entered the bridge, Gena handed me a flask with some liquid and demanded I drink its contents before landing. I didn't argue and sat in the chair.

The planet's atmosphere was almost the same as back home. Almost. Only the sky was too red, as if covered in smoke from an endless fire. And the sun… it hung low, like a huge blood-red ball. We landed on the outskirts of the copy of Moscow—if you could call it Moscow. The city was *correct*. Too correct. The houses stood in neat rows, the streets intersected at perfect angles, even the trees were planted in strict order.

– This… is unnatural, – I muttered.

– Everything here is unnatural. This is the work of control, – Gena hissed. – Total control.

– So, what do we do? How will you walk through the city center? You'll scare everyone.

– I'm not going. You're going alone. I'll climb a few kilometers up and engage the cloak. I'll follow you, covering you from above.

I shook the Reptiloid's hand and exited the ship. The ship was cloaked, so I wasn't afraid of being detected. Emerging from the thick bushes, I headed towards the city center. I noticed the people around looked normal. Men were in suits of various cuts. Girls and women in beautiful dresses. But… I didn't see any children anywhere. Such nice summer weather, and no kids. And another thing…

– Gena. They're not talking. To each other, – I noted.

No laughter. No arguments. Not even whispers. The crowd moved in unison, like programmed puppets.

– They're dolls, – Gena grumbled into my earpiece. – They're not even people.

– Then what are they?

– Copies. Copies of real people from your planet. An imitation of life, society, and beings. Whose work is this? Alright, be careful, something tells me there's danger around.

– Understood, – I replied and tripped over a piece of protruding asphalt. At that moment, the crowd suddenly froze. Everyone. Simultaneously. And turned their heads towards me.

– Holy shit… – I stepped back.