Ch.177Chapter 177. D-Day

“Engine check.”

“Temperature normal.”

“Electrical system check.”

“All systems normal.”

“Crew cabin check.”

“All clear.”

The large screen in the control room showed the crew giving thumbs up.

No anomalies were detected from either inside or outside.

The camera attached to the module showed a silver-haired girl sleeping peacefully in the hibernation device.

Finally, the green light came on in the control room.

“Initiating launch sequence. All personnel near the launch pad, please retreat to safe areas.”

It was a simple operation to send the module and space shuttle into the atmosphere.

For humanity, which had already completed manned explorations of Mars and Venus and even sent manned spacecraft beyond the solar system, few tasks could be easier.

Nevertheless, everyone in the control room remained vigilant, closely monitoring all readings.

“Engine ignition.”

“Engine temperature rising. No issues so far.”

Red flames began to spew from the engines.

With tremendous thrust, strong vibrations traveled through the rocket and launch pad.

But everything remained within acceptable limits.

As all three engines ignited, the rocket slowly began to rise.

“Angle is good.”

Enormous clouds of smoke engulfed the launch pad.

Finally clearing the launch pad, the rocket continued to accelerate, soaring as if to pierce the sky.

“All green. Continuing as planned.”

“Wooohooo!”

Cheers erupted from all around.

The hastily assembled team, hastily built rocket, and hastily planned operation had succeeded.

But Darry alone couldn’t join in the celebration.

Though he hadn’t wanted it to fail, he felt inexplicably bitter.

“Entering the thermosphere in 210 seconds…”

“Emergency!”

Just then, the control room door burst open.

Everyone’s startled gaze turned toward the door at once.

“What’s happening?”

“One of the crew members was found tied up in a locker!”

“What are you saying? Then who’s up there… oh.”

“Yes! Some impostor is up there!”

“Oh no!”

A faint smile appeared on Darry’s lips.

So they finally discovered it.

But it was already too late.

“This is Houston! Space shuttle! Respond! Respond!”

“No response at all!”

Despite their urgent attempts to communicate, the crew members visible on camera paid no attention.

Had someone turned off the communications?

“Separation sequence… in progress.”

“Good Lord.”

Above, they were proceeding with the mission, completely unaware.

The rocket’s engines shut down, and separation began.

Finally, the space shuttle emerged from inside the rocket, carrying a large module at its nose as it entered space.

-Houston. Separation completed successfully. Now beginning trajectory calculations for ejection.

“Space shuttle! There’s an impostor in Nilsen’s seat! Apprehend him immediately! Right now!”

No matter how loudly they shouted, there was no response from the other side.

If only they would remove that black helmet.

Anyone would notice immediately upon seeing the face.

As the space shuttle settled into orbit and began circling, the crew started removing their helmets one by one.

One person held out until the end—unsurprisingly, the one sitting in Nilsen’s seat.

Everyone in the control room watched intently as he twisted off his helmet.

-I’ll just check the module quickly.

-Again? Whatever…

“Come on! Please check his face!”

But he turned his back to the crew and faced forward.

None of the crew members had yet confirmed his face.

However, as his face was captured by the front camera, those in the control room could identify him.

“It’s Jinsoo Kim! Jinsoo Kim is aboard!”

“Damn it! What the hell is going on?”

The control room instantly descended into chaos.

***

Hisss…

Only after the bulkhead closed could I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

I’d worried about being discovered because of my voice, but no one had suspected anything.

Finally alone, I slowly moved toward the front of the space shuttle.

“So it’s beyond here…”

The bulkhead positioned in front.

Beyond this bulkhead marked with a large “CAUTION” sign was Cuss.

The module carrying Cuss was connected here.

Without hesitation, I grabbed the handle and pulled.

Beep!

But an alarm sounded, and the bulkhead showed no sign of opening.

Damn. Had they blocked it from opening?

-It’s useless, Jinsoo Kim.

“…!”

Just then, an electronic voice came through the radio.

Had they restored communications and been informed of the situation from the ground?

My heart pounded, and my hands grew sweaty.

The scenario of secretly hiding Cuss in the space shuttle and returning together had completely failed.

From now on, everything would be improvisation, outside the plan.

Creeeeak…

“Surrender quietly, Jinsoo…”

Bang!

As the bulkhead behind me began to open, I grabbed my pistol and fired at the wall.

Startled, they immediately closed the door again.

That’s right. Stay put.

First, I needed to open the bulkhead in front and bring Cuss inside.

-Space station. Requesting backup. The suspect is armed.

-Roger. Sending United States Space Force. ETA 5 minutes.

As the radio chattered incessantly, I examined the bulkhead.

I was hoping to find some way to force it open manually.

But despite trying various methods, the door wouldn’t budge.

Damn it. Cuss is right beyond this door!

“Open up! You bastards! Or I’ll destroy the electrical system!”

-Go ahead and try. A .45 caliber won’t even scratch it.

My threats were useless.

As they said, this state-of-the-art space shuttle had all its wires and components hidden behind steel plates to withstand strong impacts.

If only I could have brought tools, I could have torn it apart and threatened them.

“Open. Please open!”

Even the manual override was locked and completely ineffective.

This wasn’t an issue with this bulkhead.

They must have locked the bulkhead on the module side.

If so, this bulkhead wouldn’t budge until the module separated.

“Damn it… damn it…”

Was there really no way?

After pounding on the door, I carefully examined my surroundings.

All I had was an old pistol with seven bullets left, and miscellaneous items like gas dispensers and space suits.

This was natural.

This space was originally used as storage, so there wouldn’t be anything useful for opening doors or as weapons.

Wait a minute.

“Space suit…?”

A space suit with a gas dispenser.

A somewhat risky but brilliant idea came to mind.

-Space shuttle. Space Force has arrived. Open the tail bulkhead.

-Roger.

Had they already arrived?

Through the window, I could see a large spaceship floating.

Black-suited figures emerged with guns, spraying gas as they approached.

Thud… Thud…

Vibrations ran through the space shuttle.

The impact came from marines setting foot on the shuttle.

I could see a dark figure peering through the window.

He secured his safety line to a hook, then aimed his gun at me through the window.

He was ready to shoot me if necessary, even if it meant breaking the window.

-Trajectory calculations complete. We’ll launch the module as planned.

-Damn it! Shoot it out quickly before he causes trouble!

-30 seconds to ejection point.

As soon as I heard that, I quickly began changing into the space suit.

Hurry. I had to do it within 30 seconds.

Hisss…!

“Jinsoo Kim! Surrender!”

“Damn it!”

Just then, the bulkhead behind me opened again.

Dark marines pointing submachine guns.

I immediately grabbed my pistol and aimed.

Ratatatatat!

Flames spewed from their gun barrels as bullets poured in.

But I returned fire without hesitation.

“Damn it! Close the door!”

Thanks to that, they promptly closed the bulkhead again.

Stay put like I told you.

Looking at my pistol, I saw the slide was locked back.

I’d emptied the magazine.

If that bulkhead opened again, I would be helplessly subdued.

But why was my side so hot?

“Ah, shit…”

Drops of blood from my stomach were floating in the zero gravity.

Had I been hit?

Now that I saw the wound, the pain suddenly rushed in.

Stopping the bleeding was impossible here.

Grimacing, I endured the pain and finished putting on the space suit.

-Module separation!

Thud…!

A strong vibration came through.

The module had separated…

Then I should be able to open the bulkhead now.

Hisss…!

“It worked!”

As expected, once the module separated, the manual override handle turned.

Soon, with the sound of escaping gas, the bulkhead opened, and I was propelled outward.

-Grab that bastard! Catch him!

The Space Force personnel attached to the space shuttle reached for me.

I shook off their hands, stomped on their heads, and leaped toward the opposite side of Earth.

I could see it.

The module getting farther away.

I had to catch up immediately.

“Damn it! Urgh!”

As soon as I activated the gas dispenser, my body suddenly spun.

This wasn’t right.

Both sides simultaneously.

That’s it. Now I had the feel for it and could move straight ahead.

I accelerated toward the module.

-Should we shoot?

-No… let him go. He can’t come back anyway.

No more interference now.

Just me and Cuss.

The distant module gradually began to get closer.

Finally, I caught up with the module and grabbed a bar attached to the wall.

“I’m here!”

I made it.

I really made it.

I climbed up the bars like a ladder and clung to the edge of the module.

“Phew…”

I could see the blue planet Earth.

We were supposed to go back there together.

Without a computer to calculate the angle, I positioned myself roughly by eye.

“Aaaaargh!”

I activated the gas dispenser at maximum output.

White gas spewed from my toes and elbows, pushing the large module.

Just a little more. If I could push it just a bit more, I could get it into Earth’s gravitational field!

Hiss… Chk…

“Ah.”

The gas was depleted.

No matter how much I tried to activate the dispenser, I only heard mechanical sounds with no gas coming out.

Wondering if I’d succeeded, I looked out…

“Damn it.”

Earth was getting farther away.

Slowly but surely.

I hadn’t reduced the module’s speed enough.

The module, with me attached, had completely left Earth’s gravitational field and was heading endlessly into space.

“Ha… hehehe…”

So it ended up just as Juliane said.

I was at a loss for words, feeling utterly defeated.

For a long time, I pressed my head against the module wall and laughed.

Then suddenly, I wanted to see Cuss’s face.

After all, that’s why I came all this way…

I approached the bulkhead and turned the handle.

I was worried the other side might be locked too, but fortunately, the handle turned with a hissing sound.

Bang…!

The bulkhead suddenly swung open and almost broke off.

If I had let go of the bar, I would have become a space orphan in an instant.

Holding onto the bulkhead’s bar, I could see small boxes and water containers escaping from inside and scattering into space.

I struggled to move my body inside and then closed the bulkhead.

“Urgh… damn it.”

As soon as I got inside, I looked for a first aid kit.

Fortunately, not everything had floated out, and I managed to find one.

I took off the space suit and sprayed hemostatic agent on my side.

The gas-form hemostatic agent adhered to the wound, quickly stopping the bleeding.

That took care of emergency treatment…

“Please. Tell me there’s a way to drive this thing. There must be some trick.”

I quickly attached myself to the terminal and tried entering commands.

Even if it was an ejection module, there must be some way to control it from inside.

There should be gas dispensers attached to help with separation and acceleration.

Those dispensers would be several times more powerful than the ones on the space suit.

If I could use them…

-Gas remaining: 0%

“Damn it.”

A wave of powerlessness washed over me.

There was no way.

There was absolutely no way to move this module now.

This meant we were doomed to drift through space forever.

Turning around, I saw the hibernation device attached to the wall.

As if hypnotized, I approached it and wiped the frost from the glass to see Cuss’s face, sleeping with her eyes closed.

Damn girl… still so cute.

Whoosh…!

When I placed my palm on the hibernation device, mist sprayed out and the wall opened.

From inside, a beautiful child slowly opened her eyes.

Just as when I first saw her, she looked at me with those lovely eyes.

“Mmm… Jinsoo…”

“Yes. My daughter. Come here.”

Cuss reached out her arms, her voice still sleepy.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and helped her out of the hibernation device.

Though her voice lacked strength, perhaps due to lingering anesthesia, her arms embraced me with surprising strength.

She hugged me tightly, interlocking her fingers as if never wanting to let go.

“Why did you come, Jinsoo…”

“I missed you.”

“Me too, I missed you too. But… but…”

“I got to see your face, so it’s fine. Right?”

“Mmm…”

I gently stroked her head.

I ran my fingers through her beautiful hair.

Looking around, I saw the place was a complete mess.

Didn’t they say they loaded food and water for 100 years…?

It had all flown away, and what remained looked like enough for only about a year.

Even that would last only half a year if shared between the two of us.

“Daddy…”

“What is it, my daughter?”

“I’m cold…”

“Give me your hands. Warm now?”

“Yes…”

I took off my gloves and held Cuss’s hands, rubbing them.

Then I touched her arms, cheeks, and stomach to warm her up.

Seeing her eyelids still trying to close, it seemed sleep hadn’t completely left her.

Even her half-asleep appearance was incredibly lovable.

“Now it’s just the two of us. What should we do? We can do anything. There’s no one here to tell us what to do.”

“Mmm… Jinsoo, I want to see penguins.”

“Penguins?”

I burst out laughing.

Penguins.

That’s right. She still hasn’t seen penguins.

Then we should go see them.

“Let’s go see penguins. Let’s go on a journey to see penguins…”

Holding Cuss, I slowly closed my eyes.

The two of us set off on a journey to a cold, distant place.

.

.

.

A fierce wind blows.

It was early morning, before the sun had fully risen.

Sitting in a chair and staring blankly ahead, all I could see was snow.

Snow, trees, and sky.

Occasionally, I could see reindeer passing in the distance.

I hoped they wouldn’t charge toward us.

“Ugh…”

“Awake?”

With the tent zipper opening, a groan escaped.

That adorable one who peeked her head out soon shivered, put on a thick padded jacket, and trotted outside.

Next to me was another chair.

Cuss collapsed into it.

I pulled her hood up to keep snow from getting into her ears.

But she made a displeased sound and pushed the hood back.

“It’s cold. Wear your hood.”

“No. I can’t see Jinsoo well this way. And I can’t hear your voice clearly.”

“…”

Maybe when her ears freeze, she’ll come to her senses and put the hood on.

I decided to leave her be.

“Penguins. I don’t see any.”

“Penguins… they’re in Antarctica.”

“Mmm. So?”

“This is… I don’t know. I don’t know where we are either.”

“…”

Silence fell.

Feel free to call me an idiot.

Today, I’ll even allow you to curse at me.

I had brought us to a completely wrong place, promising to show her penguins.

Thanks to that, we were just going to see a lot of snow.

“I came to the wrong place. I’m sorry.”

“Jinsoo dummy.”

“I have nothing to say.”

Thud.

Cuss’s head bumped against my shoulder.

I gently stroked her head.

This was the last time…

And even at the very end, I was a foolish father who couldn’t find the right path, so I could only feel sorry.

“But I’m happy.”

“What’s there to be happy about? It’s cold, hungry, painful… and we can’t even see penguins.”

“I’m happy being with Jinsoo. Actually, I don’t really want to see penguins anymore.”

“…”

Happy being together.

She was saying such endearing things.

When in reality, she wanted to see them.

She had been looking forward to seeing penguins.

“Are you disappointed?”

“A little…”

I brushed aside her hair and brought my lips close.

To comfort this lovable yet hateful child, I kissed her forehead.

It was cold.

Beautiful silver hair, and tentacles wriggling inside the thick padded jacket…

Others might be horrified, but no matter what anyone says, Cuss is my daughter.

Yes. My one and only daughter.