Despite the extraordinary intelligence and leadership that characterized our Alpha Glitcher, he harbored a deep fear of the surface, not for the unknown as is often the case, but for what he already knew about it. The radiation emitted by his species had altered the atmosphere, making the surface uninhabitable for humans (or so it was thought). For this reason, he avoided allowing excursions to the exterior of the underground.

One day, despite the exhaustive warnings he usually gave to explorers about going beyond the limits set by established safety parameters, two Glitchers from the exploration group were very daring. They were twins who, in addition to being united by the same chemicals that altered their genome in an identical way, were constantly competing in everything. The older twin, named Orion, was more daring and tended to act boldly, while the younger, Aiden, was empathetic and understanding, being more reflective. However, on this occasion, he was swayed by their competitive influence, wanting to stand out from the rest. They attempted to venture beyond the permitted zone in search of more information than any other explorer, which ended in a displeasing result for the Alpha.

Orion reached a point in the underground that connected to the surface and, the moment he emerged, Aiden lost the presence of Orion, as their connection was not as strong as the one the Alpha Glitcher had with all Glitchers. This connection stemmed from the radiation they emitted, which permeated the entire underground and enhanced their abilities without them being fully aware of it. Worried, Aiden quickly headed in the direction where he last sensed his brother, finding him amazed at seeing the surface: a blue sky adorned with gray vapor (clouds) and an entirely green environment, far from the surface described in the Alpha’s warnings. They argued about whether to report their discovery or secretly present the findings to the Alpha to avoid causing a commotion among the entire civilization.

Aiden managed to persuade Orion to present the report directly to the Alpha without the presence of the other explorers. The Alpha did not show as much displeasure as he really felt, as it was the first time a challenging pattern had been demonstrated among the members of this incredible civilization. He expressed concern and excitement about the information but not without letting them know that there would be consequences if they overstepped his instructions again.

Over time, Orion grew impatient with the Alpha’s lack of action. In his mind, days had passed since the report that the surface was clear of contamination and they could begin a reconnaissance mission. The Alpha, aware of Orion’s thoughts and after sleeping during that period while analyzing the situation, decided to send Aiden after transferring the information about the location of the old laboratory where they were created. His mission was to gather information about the incident and about humans as discreetly and confidentially as possible, even above Orion.

During the rest period that the Alpha usually subjected most Glitchers to control the radiation they emitted, he left Aiden free so he could take advantage of the moment and leave the underground. Aiden, aware of how cautious he needed to be for the sake of his species and the humans, knew that if he spent too much time on the surface, he risked emitting radiation, contaminating the vegetation, and causing a smaller-scale incident than the last time. He was able to pass through to the laboratory without issues, which was completely abandoned, with no traces of humans after the last few years. He marveled at all the documentation of the experiments conducted in that laboratory and learned about the entire process the mother seed went through before becoming the Alpha Glitcher.

After obtaining the information requested by the Alpha, before leaving the laboratory, he noticed a dead plant in an observation container. Aiden couldn’t understand why it was in that state since it hadn’t been subjected to the same amount of chemical fertilizers used on them. He tried to approach it to speak to it, but astonishingly, when he surrounded it with his hands, an unknown energy overflowed from him. Frightened, Aiden opted to return, thinking he had started to emit radiation. He wasn’t too worried because he was in the laboratory surrounded by failed experimental plants, but he was aware that what had happened was unknown and nothing could go wrong on his first reconnaissance mission on the surface. He quickly left the laboratory heading back to the underground. On the way back, he noticed that he was moving slower when heading to the laboratory than on the return trip. He recalled that the Alpha had warned him about their enhanced abilities due to the radiation and that he was unaware of the side effects of separating from it. He assumed that losing speed was one of those effects, although he wasn’t sure why he now felt lighter and had regained some of his speed on the return to the underground.

When he arrived to deliver the report along with the items he had obtained, he was surprised by Orion, who had awakened after feeling his younger brother’s presence disappear entirely, similar to the description Aiden had given him when explaining how he found him when he went to the surface. Without being able to do more, the Alpha had to explain to Orion why he chose Aiden as the first Glitcher to explore the surface. He explained that despite being an exceptional Glitcher with unique abilities, Aiden was born prematurely compared to the rest, whose radiation remains fatal to an organic body like that of a human, but at a slower and lower proportion. Orion, displeased, accepted it only because he felt superior in abilities compared to his brother but made it clear that he must be present in the next reconnaissance, which was accepted by the Alpha.

After analyzing the documented events and understanding the life cycles of the planet’s vegetation, they concluded that over the years, the life of natural plants activated the phytoremediation process, a natural process of plants used to purify air, soil, and water by absorbing and metabolizing chemical and radioactive contaminants. Therefore, the environment was free from the radioactivity caused by the Glitchers when they first emerged. However, this did not mean they could inhabit the surface as they still emitted radiation, although at a lower proportion. Unfortunately, despite Aiden’s excellent work gathering information, it wasn’t enough to explain the situation to the entire civilization. Sooner or later, they knew they would find out, and just as Aiden and Orion defied the rules, other Glitchers could do the same, risking the preservation of both species.

For this reason, the Alpha decided to deploy the best exploration duo of all the Glitchers, assigning the two brothers the mission to investigate the surface during the night. This way, they could extend their time outside thanks to the absence of the sun, which would not stimulate the organic part of the Glitchers, delaying the emission of radiation.

Following the Alpha’s instructions, the brothers began to prepare to go out. Orion, consumed by his boldness and eager to uncover the mysteries of the surface, and Aiden, who while preparing, tried to restrain him to avoid getting into trouble again. Unbeknownst to them, they were about to discover something that no Glitcher or human tale could have predicted…