Dr. Niall Renton:
Extraterrestrial life.

Aliens.

They are real.

Tremors. Blackouts. Erased data. Niall's mind raced. Everything—every setback, every inexplicable failure—was connected. This wasn't bad luck. It was sabotage. A deliberate attempt to keep them blind, to keep them from seeing the truth.

The invasion had already begun. And no one had noticed. Not a single soul.

Niall's stomach churned as he looked at Elara. Her grey eyes stayed locked on the screen. Unblinking, her fingers clenched so tight her knuckles had gone white. The footage flickered— showing fragments of the impossible; Shapeless figures, liquid bodies shifting into humanoid silhouettes. Weapons forming from their yellowish-brown bodies.

Then they shot.

No warning. No hesitation.

A pulse of searing light shot from one of the materialized weapons, striking the orphanage. The impact rippled outward—a deep, guttural rumble, followed by the sharp crack of splitting concrete. Steel beams shrieked as they twisted. Glass shattered. The building groaned, then crumbled in on itself with a deafening roar.

The footage was soundless. But Niall could feel the screams.

Innocents, torn apart.

Children—murdered in cold blood.

Niall's breath caught in his throat, his chest tight with panic. His hands trembled as he gripped the armrest, nails digging into the leather. His pulse hammered in his ears, a deafening rhythm that drowned out everything else.

How?

How did no one know about this?

The whole orphanage—gone, wiped from existence in mere seconds. The destruction should have left evidence. Should have raised alarms. But the truth had been buried.

And the aliens...

Where were they now?

A sudden movement on-screen made his stomach drop. A child—no older than five—ran into frame, clutching a stuffed toy. His mouth was open in a silent wail, eyes wide with terror.

Then—

A shot.

A pulse of light.

The child crumpled, their tiny body hitting the pavement with a sickening finality.

Niall's hands moved on their own. He fumbled for his phone. His fingers numb as he unlocked it. He needed to call home. Needed to hear his boys' voices. Needed to know they were safe.

Elara was the first to break the silence, her voice barely above a whisper. "Those poor children... Their last moments were pure horror."

Niall barely heard her. His fingers trembled as he pressed the call button. The phone rang once. Twice— then went to voicemail.

He tried again.

Nothing.

"They're not gonna answer." Elara let out a sigh.

Niall raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're trying to get a hold on your boys, aren't you?"

He bit his lip, nodding slowly.

"It's ten a.m. on a Wednesday," she said. "They're in school."

Niall exhaled sharply. He felt stupid. Of course, they were in school. As their father, he should have known that.

But the thought did nothing to calm him.

If these creatures could attack an orphanage without hesitation, what made schools any safer? Both were filled with young, innocent children.

He had to protect his sons. No matter what.

Niall raked a hand through his hair. He glanced at Elara, her eyes still fixed on the screen, her jaw clenched tight. She was just as horrified as he was.

"Aren't you afraid?" he asked.

"I am," Elara admitted. "But I need to know what deal was struck first. Mira said Valeria was negotiating with them. Maybe our families are safe."

"What about the others?'

Elare inhaled sharply, like she was buying time to answer. Finally, she said, "Priorities, I need to know my family is safe. Then we can figure out the rest."

They didn't need to say anything more. The unspoken truth hung between them—if their own families were in danger, nothing else would matter.

They turned back to the drive.

There were more videos. More horror.

The screen flickered, revealing a nightmarish scene—the liquid-like creatures slithering across the Oval Office, their grotesque, amorphous bodies shifting in the dim light. The President, standing stiffly, extended his hand. Their touch was a grotesque, wet slither, alien in every sense of the word. The creatures' eyes—empty, soulless—held his gaze, and for a moment, the room felt colder than death itself. But not just him. The intruders had met with leaders all over the world.

Kings of Great Britain, Belgium—even the royal family of Japan.

Presidents of France, South Korea, Argentina—

Even Lemon-named Cyprus had made a deal with them.

Niall didn't believe his eyes.

These creatures had infiltrated world Governments. Struck Agreements behind closed doors.

And yet—no one had warned them. No one had told the public. No one had spoken a word.

Why?

Niall's breath felt heavy in his chest. His mind spun, trying to make sense of it all.

Leaders across the world had met with them. They had shaken hands with those things—those monsters that murdered children in the streets like it meant nothing.

Elara scrolled through the files, her movements sharp, almost frantic. More documents. More videos. Meetings behind closed doors. Treaties, agreements, classified files stamped with the highest levels of clearance.

They had known.

They had all known.

And yet, people like him—scientists, researchers, the very minds tasked with searching for life beyond Earth—had been kept in the dark. Lied to. Manipulated.

Niall clenched his fists. His stomach twisted in a sickening knot.

"What the hell did they promise them?" he muttered.

Elara didn't look up. "Power. Technology. Survival."

"Survival?" Niall scoffed. "Did we see the same video? That wasn't coexistence—that was an execution."

Elara finally turned to him, her expression unreadable. "Then why haven't they wiped us all out yet?"

Niall had no answer.

She was right. If these creatures had the ability to level a building in seconds, if they could turn their bodies into weapons, then why were they negotiating?

Elara kept scrolling through the files, her fingers moving faster now. The flickering glow of the screen reflecting off her tense features. "We need to focus," she muttered. "There has to be something in here—some kind of pattern, some hint at their endgame."

Niall wasn't listening. He yanked his phone from his pocket again and tried calling his sons' school. This time, the call didn't even ring. Just a dead silence before an automated voice cut in. We're sorry. All circuits are currently busy. Please try again later.

Something cold settled in his gut. He clenched his jaw and dialed again.

Same result.

Elara looked up. "What's wrong?"

"I can't get through." Niall's voice was tight, barely above a whisper. The phone felt like a dead weight in his hand.

Elara looked at him, a flicker of doubt crossing her face. "Could be nothing," she said, but even she couldn't convince him. "You can't keep calling. We need to focus."

Niall shot up from his chair. "I need to go."

Elara stood, blocking his path. "And do what? Run straight there? What if you lead them right to your kids?"

"I can't just sit here!"

She exhaled sharply. "And if something's already happening, do you really think you can stop it?"

Niall's hands curled into fists. He hated that she was right. That she was always right.

"I'll make sure your family is prioritized."

Niall froze, the words echoing in his mind. He had dismissed them, not wanting to betray his best friend, believing in Elara and that her methods were the best way. But now? Now, with dead phone lines and an alien invasion hidden behind diplomatic handshakes, he wasn't so sure.

Elara was still watching him, her expression unreadable. "Niall," she said carefully. "What is it?"

He could barely hear her over the blood pounding in his ears. If Valeria had already made her deal, if the safety of his boys depended on his compliance...

Then wasn't he already too late?

His breath came sharp and uneven. He had spent years searching for proof of extraterrestrial life, dedicating his career to the unknown. And now that he had found it, it was too late to do anything. They had already won. The only thing left was deciding whether he would play along.

A cold fist clenched around Niall's gut. Could he trust Valeria, knowing the stakes? Could he take that risk—not just with his life, but with the lives of his family? The doubt gnawed at him, a poison spreading through his every thought

Elara stepped closer. "Niall."

He looked at her. Looking at the screen, the orphanage was reduced to rubble. Looked at his phone, the dead line still mocking him.

The weight of the choice hit him like a freight train. Obey Valeria—and ensure the safety of his family, at least for now—stay with Elara. Risk everything. His mind screamed for him to protect his family. His heart—numb, cold—pulled him toward the fight. But could he do it? Could he survive the consequences of defying Valeria?

His breath hitched as he made the choice—knowing it might be the last one that mattered.

Niall clenched his jaw. His hands curled into fists.

And then, he made his decision.

Chapter word count: 1408
Novella word count: 10 095