EVOLVE

The night was so quiet it felt unnatural, quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Inside the monitoring room at NASCO, the silence was broken only by the rhythmic beeping of machines. Rows of screens glowed softly in the dark, tracking satellites, atmospheric data, and deep-space anomalies. Josh, a computer wizard, about five foot, eight inches tall and with a bubbly personality and a slightly slim body not fitted for a NASCO worker, yet he excelled in his work. In the dark control room, he sat alone, slouched in his chair, eyes heavy, fighting sleep. Every few seconds, he forced himself to glance at the monitors, though nothing had changed for hours. The hum of electronics and the steady pulse of data made it easy for him to driftoff into dream land. He leaned back and exhaled, “I need coffee.” He whispered to himself. Josh stood up, stretched his stiff back, and made his way to the small kitchenette beside the control room. He grabbed his favorite mug from the cupboard, spooned in sugar and coffee, and waited for the kettle to boil. When it did, he poured the water, stirred slowly, and took a deep breath. As he turned back towards his station, the silence shattered. An alarm blared, Josh froze. The mug slipped from his hand and clattered onto the table as his heart slammed against his chest. He sprinted to the monitors, eyes darting across the screens. “What the hell…” he whispered. One of the satellites had picked up an object fast, violent, and completely unfamiliar, tearing through Earth’s atmosphere. Josh’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he pulled up more data, energy readings, chemical signatures, and trajectory analysis. “This can’t be right.” The object was surrounded by a glowing cloud of gas something he recognized instantly, Aetherium combustion. Aetherium was a theoretical metal, rare, nearly impossible to find within the solar system. His hands trembled as he grabbed his phone and dialed a number he had hoped never to call during a night shift. After several rings, a calm but irritated voice answered. “Is everything okay?” Obrem asked. “Why am I being called at this hour?” “I’m sorry, sir,” Josh said quickly, barely catching his breath. “But this is urgent. You need to come in.” There was a pause. “Can it wait until morning?”

“No, sir. It can’t.” Another pause, “Explain.” Said Obrem. “Our satellites detected an unknown object entering the atmosphere,” Josh said. “It doesn’t match anything we’ve ever observed. It’s not a meteor. Not debris. The chemical composition and energy output are… different.” “Could it be a comet?” Obrem asked, already annoyed. “No, sir. Comets have predictable structures. This object is emitting energy consistent with aetherium combustion.” There was a bit of silence, “I believe,” Josh continued carefully, “that this object is a spacecraft.” Obrem exhaled slowly. “You’re sure?” “Yes, sir. Every indicator points to it.” “I’ll be there in thirty minutes,” Obrem said. “Call Scarlet, Rosita, Rick and put Dr. Anne on standby.” “Yes, sir.” Josh concluded and the call ended. Within minutes, the control room buzzed with movement. Rosita and Rick arrived first, followed shortly by Scarlet. “A spaceship?” Rosita asked, disbelief in her voice. “I’m not saying for sure,” Josh replied, excitement creeping in despite the fear. “But if this isn’t one, then physics itself just broke.” Rick crossed his arms.

“You really think we’re not alone?” Before Josh could answer, the doors slid open. Obrem stepped inside. “Is everyone here?” he asked. “Anne isn’t,” Josh said. “She’ll meet us there “Where did it land?” “Two hundred miles west of Georgia.” Josh replied.“Prepare one of the jets,” “We leave immediately.”

The ground was still burning when NASCO’s team arrived, led by Obrem, the chief scientist. The spacecraft laid half buried into the earth, with trees surrounding it still up in flames. A faint blue glow pulsed from the center of the crater, no one spoke, even Obrem stood still. The space craft was unlike anything humanity had ever built, the technology was far ahead that of human civilization, with crafting on its sides in a language that was unknown to mankind. “This thing didn’t land” Rick muttered. “It fell.” Obrem stepped closer, eyes alight and in awe. “It survived atmospheric entry, that alone makes it extra-ordinary.” Said Obrem. Rosita scanned the area. “Radiation levels are stable, whatever powers it… it’s contained.”she said. “Great, then we can open up the hull and see what is inside.” Said Obrem while looking at Rick, “We must be ready for anything” he added. Rick nodded his head and

positioned his weapon. They forced open the hull and entered the ship with caution, led by Rick with his gun positioned, ready for a fight. The ship was silent inside, just a sound of metal breaking and computers beeping. As they proceeded to explore the ship, at it’s center laid a single being, a humanoid, pale skinned, taller than any human, pointed ears, and wide eyes, its body slack and not moving. “I see something!” shouted Rick, trying to inform his crew behind him. He moved closer to the body, as if admiring it, “It’s a body” he exclaimed. “Or should I say alien?” seconds later, the whole team arrived at the body. “Wow, this is cool.” Said Josh with a wide smile. “First confirmed interstellar life” he added. Dr. Anne knelt beside it, scanner in hand. Her breath caught. “Heart activity is minimal,” she whispered. “But the brain...” She looked up, stunned. “Neuronal activity is off the charts,” she said. “Ten times faster than a human.”Silence filled the chamber. Anne stared at the being with awe and fear intertwined. “We are not alone.”