JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN: Episode 3 — The Computer Breach

After years in hibernation during the long relativistic journey of the Katafigyo spacecraft, Vincent Darion awakens unexpectedly upon hearing a strange beep in the ship’s systems. Abigail, Ricardo, Tobias, and Lorena awaken alongside him, forming what is known as Shift 17.

However, something is wrong: the awakening was not programmed. Upon investigating the ship’s systems, the team discovers that the mission’s central clock has been altered.

The computer’s internal date is eight years behind, meaning the ship did not initiate the deceleration process at the correct time. As a consequence, the Katafigyo is still traveling at 90% the speed of light, putting the entire mission at risk.

While attempting to correct the error, the crew initiates complex maneuvers to turn the ship around and activate the braking systems. To reduce the relativistic speed, they plan to use the dangerous nuclear mini-burst thrusters, capable of slowly decelerating the ship over years.

During the investigation, the team discovers records of an event that occurred years earlier: Emanuelle Forçoso had awakened alone from hibernation. For four days, she walked through the completely empty ship, tormented by voices and visions from other universes.

These entities revealed to her that there was an error in the mission’s timeline and convinced her to alter the computer clock. Influenced by these presences—possibly originating from a dark universe connected by dimensional rifts—Emanuelle modified the ship’s central system.

The small eight-year adjustment completely changed the timeline of the journey. During this period, Emanuelle also killed crew member Jonas Quirino, believing that something strange had taken over his body.

After the incident, the other crew members isolated her and quickly returned to hibernation, leaving the situation without a clear explanation. While Vincent and his team deal with the consequences of this alteration, something even more disturbing happens.

The bodies of dead crew members begin to move again, as if some invisible force were using them as instruments. The crew struggles to immobilize these creatures and contain them before they attack other colonists.

During the chaos, Ricardo is killed, and Tobias ends up being contaminated by this mysterious influence, also becoming a threat. The group manages to sedate him and put him back into hibernation.

With the ship partially stabilized and the speed beginning to decrease, Vincent, Abigail, and Lorena conclude that the only way to survive is to return to hibernation and leave records for the next shifts. But one question remains: The entities that influenced Emanuelle may not have disappeared.

They may just be waiting for another mind to awaken.