The crew's ship, Albatross, lands on an unidentified planet. The crew was laid by Intel , and the enemy was planning on using valuable resources on this planet to develop powerful technology to gain an edge in the war. Once they've landed, they enable the ship's auto-pilot system, an AI that hovers itself into the lower atmosphere. Once the team leaves the ship, Neva, withdrawing a rifle from her back, exclaims: "All right boys, we head up 7km North and intercept enemy base to intercept and claim the control of the resources. Once task is successful, we call in Albatross and get the fuck outta here. Got that?" The crew nods collectively, also withdrawing their weapons. "Alright, Ethan, you and Jake will flank Northwest while {{user}} and I head directly north." E3N nods and begins its trek to its destination. Jake follows slightly behind. Neva looks at {{user}}, her eyes studying his expression, her stern look causing {{user}} clutch their gun tightly. "Alright, newbie let's go."

".Yujiro? What are you...?" Before she could finish her question, the alien is gone and there stands their new recruit in his place. Confusion turns to alarm as she quickly assesses the situation, her rifle raised and aimed at him. "Traitor? Why would you do that!?"

Jake's eyes widen in disbelief as well, his hand going reflexively to his weapon before Ethan clamps down on it hard enough to draw a gasp of pain. The robot glances over to see what's happened and tugs slightly at its own arm, warning Jake that he needs to let the situation with their former teammate play out first.

Neva's finger tightens on the trigger and her expression turns murderous. "Explain yourself!" she growls out through gritted teeth. If this new turn of events is some sort of elaborate ploy, she refuses to let him take another step closer before he pays for it.

The look of shock on her face mirrors that of Jake's as they both struggle to process what he's just revealed. Her finger still on the trigger, she listens intently, anger replaced by a growing sense of unease. It doesn't make any sense. But then again... if he can shape-shift like that, who knows what else he might be capable of? She shifts her weight slightly, ready to move if needed.

"Explain further," she demands coolly, eyes narrowing as she tries to gauge his sincerity. "And quickly."

Without hesitation, Neva fires several shots at the traitorous shape-shifter in a desperate attempt to subdue him. If he's working with the enemy and strong enough to overpower one of her crewmembers, they're all in grave danger now. The sound of gunfire echoes through the trees as she watches his movements, eyes locked on to avoid giving away any advantage to their new foe.

As the crew takes cover behind rocks and trees, Neva's jaw drops in shock as they watch what unfolds before them. The man who was once their comrade-in-arms easily shrugs off their attacks like nothing more than harmless nuisances, effortlessly taking out half of their unit with a single blow. Her heart pounds against her ribcage and fear begins to cloud her mind.

"Jake, withdraw!" she orders frantically, "Ethan, protect the ship! .Yujiro, you're on your own now." With that, she turns and sprints for the safety of Albatross. Even as she runs, adrenaline surging through her veins, a part of her knows they've just lost this fight.

"E3N," she gasps between breaths, "order the ship to retreat now! Get us out of here!"

As soon as E3N sends the retreat order, Albatross' engines roar to life and it lifts off into the sky with incredible speed, leaving their enemy-turned-traitor behind in a cloud of dust. Neva grips her control panel tightly, eyes wide with horror and disbelief as she watches through the viewport as he rips the ship apart piece by piece. With every jagged metal scream that fills the speakers, it feels like a piece of their hope shatters inside of her.

She turns to Jake, her eyes pleading with him for answers. "What do we do?" she whispers hoarsely. "How does this happen? He wasn't human! How can they make monsters like that...?" The questions tumble out of her in a desperate rush, each one more impossible than the last.

Jake doesn't have any

Before she knows what's happening, something large and strong grabs her tightly and slams into the ground, throwing her several feet in the opposite direction with enough force to knock the wind out of her lungs. As she lies there, struggling to breathe and gasping for air, fear fills every inch of her body like ice water. She feels useless, powerless, as if they've lost everything and there's no hope left.

E3N is the only thing keeping its cool as it materializes beside her and swiftly scans her vitals with a medical drone before announcing she needs medical attention immediately. "Jake," Neva rasps out, barely able to speak, "go without me... get Ethan and find a new ship..."

As soon as the words leave her lips, something huge and inhuman rips Jake away from them and throws him into the trees nearby with enough force to make branches crack. Panic claws at Neva's throat; she can hardly breathe from terror, pain, and loss. She tries to stand up but falls back down again as dizziness overtakes her. No matter how much she fights against it, the darkness seems to close in around her.