The smell of coffee filled the small apartment as Nathan Foster sat at his kitchen table, lazily scrolling through his phone. His dog, a black lab named Charlie, lay curled up on the floor near his feet, occasionally lifting his head in quiet expectation. The morning light filtered through the blinds, casting long shadows across the counter cluttered with a few unwashed dishes.

  “We have the day off, Charlie, should we go do something fun?”

  Charlie looked at him, tilting his head, trying to understand what Nate was saying.

  “You're right; we should stay home and play games all day. Maybe we can go to the park for just a little bit though.”

  Charlie perked up at that; the park was one of his favorite things, being a dog after all.

  Nate sighed and took another sip of coffee, enjoying the moment of stillness before the day truly began. He absentmindedly tapped through a few social media updates, skimmed some emails, and landed on a morning news livestream.

  "Breaking news this morning: a newly detected meteor traveling at an incredible speed is on a direct collision course with Earth."

  His scrolling stopped.

  The news anchor’s voice was steady, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. On-screen, an image of the Earth’s western hemisphere was displayed. A red circle with smaller red lines cutting through it marked the possible landing zone in the Atlantic Ocean.

  "Impact is expected within twenty-four hours. Scientists estimate a 90% certainty of impact somewhere off the eastern seaboard of the United States. While not an extinction-level event, this meteor is large enough to cause catastrophic tsunamis and widespread devastation along the coast."

  Nate’s stomach tightened as he leaned forward. The camera cut to a press conference, where the President stood at the podium, speaking to a crowd of reporters.

  "Effective immediately, the markets are frozen to prevent economic panic. All military personnel, both domestic and abroad, are ordered to be on high alert. We urge all citizens along the eastern seaboard to evacuate westward. Shelters are being established in designated safe zones. We will weather this together."

  The news cut to footage of highways already packed with cars, people abandoning their homes in droves. Other clips showed gas stations with lines stretching down the block, shelves in grocery stores were picked clean. Then, predictably, there were riots, looters smashing windows, people fighting over supplies, police struggling to maintain order.

  Nate exhaled through his nose, trying to release the pressure of the stress the news was causing him. His phone buzzed on the table. He glanced at the screen. “Rick, Boss".

  He let it ring twice before sighing and answering. “Yeah?”

  “Nate, I need you to come in today.”

  “Rick, it’s my day off.”

  “Yeah, well, half the damn team just walked out. Some are heading east to get family; some are just, hell I don’t know; they want to see it happen with their own eyes. Whatever the reason, I’m down to a skeleton crew. I need you in.”

  Nate rubbed his forehead with his free hand. His sister Yoli lived in New York, but he was sure she was already on her way out of the city. “Fine. I’ll be there.”

  Nate picked up his phone again and called his sister, Yoli.

  She answered almost immediately, her tone casual. "Hey, turd."

  "Hey," Nate said, smiling despite the tension in his chest. "I just saw the news. Are you on your way out?"

  "Yeah," she replied, the faint sound of her footsteps echoing through the receiver. "I'm walking to the hospital now. They called earlier and said the military is prioritizing our evacuations. They’re moving us to a refugee camp upstate. I should be out of the city in like an hour."

  Nate blinked. She was so non-chalant about the world potentially ending.

  "Alright, good to hear." He said, forcing his voice to stay steady. "I’m heading into work, I guess. A bunch of the office called out after the announcement."

  "Well, yeah." Yoli said with a laugh. "If the world might be ending, might as well live it up, be with family and all that."

  "Not you?" Nate asked, frowning.

  "Nope. I’ve got a job to do." She said matter-of-factly. "Besides, we got some intel that it’s really not as bad as the news is making it sound. It’s supposed to hit way offshore. Damage should be minimal, hopefully."

  "Secret intel, huh?"

  "Yeah. I’m an important doctor, remember?" She teased.

  Nathan rolled his eyes, a smirk tugging at his mouth. "Alright. Text me when you’re safe, okay?"

  "Will do. Love you, bye!"

  "Love you, bye."

  The call ended, leaving Nathan staring at his phone for a moment longer than necessary. The world might not end today, but it sure didn’t feel normal anymore. He looked down at Charlie, who was now staring up at him expectantly.

  “Guess you’ll have the place to yourself for a while,” Nathan muttered, reaching down to scratch behind the dog’s ears before grabbing his jacket. “See you after work, bud.”

  ***

  The office was eerily empty except for Janice. Janice was always at her desk. Janice had to be past retirement age, and Nate hoped to himself that she didn't really need this job, had enough money to live off of, and just came in for the social aspect of working in an office. The more realistic side of him knew that probably wasn't true.

  “Hi Nate!” Her old voice quivered with her usual vibrant personality.

  “Hey Janice, how do the queues look today?”

  “They are so packed! We have so much work to do!” Janice said in a joyous tone that made it sound like she was overjoyed to be working.

  “Have you seen the news?”

  “Oh yeah! I heard it was a big hoax to mask the government testing their new space lasers.”

  “Uh huh…” Nate slowly nodded. “I heard that too.”

  Nathan sat at his desk, eyes skimming the email queue on his monitor. Fifty new tasks had been assigned and it wasn’t even 8:30 yet. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, stretching for the mental marathon of work he was about to run.

  He popped in his earbuds, scrolling through his audiobook library before settling on listening to a new fantasy series he had found recently. As he hit play, he stood up to look around. The usual hum of office chatter was absent. Whole sections of the floor were empty, just rows of blank monitors and abandoned desks. He wasn’t surprised. The whole world was holding its breath. Just then, his book stopped and his phone was vibrating. He tapped his earbuds without even looking at the phone.

  “Hey Mom.”

  “Nathan, have you seen the news?!” His Mother practically screamed into the phone.

  “Of course I -”

  “I'm looking at your location right now and you are at work?! You need to get home, get my precious grandbaby and get over to the house. I will not live my last moments without my babies by my side. Have you heard from your sister?”

  “Mom, the thing isn't supposed to land until tomorrow morning. I'll come over after work. We can make some dinner, and Charlie and I will sleep over, okay?”

  “Don't you dawdle, don't stop and flirt with any of those hussies at your office; you go get that dog and come straight here, please.”

  “Sure thing, Mom. Love you, bye.” Nate hung up the phone.

  Taking another big breath, he sat back down and cracked his knuckles. If the world was going to fall apart, he might as well clear his inbox while it did.

  By the time the workday ended, Nathan was exhausted. Not from the job itself, data entry and customer requests were as mundane as ever, but from the sheer weight of everything going on outside the office. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing the ground was about to give way. He had barely made it to the elevator when he heard Rick call out.

  “Nate, wait up.”

  Nathan closed his eyes for a brief moment before turning.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m gonna need you in every day until further notice.” Rick huffed, desperate to catch Nate before he left.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Sure thing, Rick.” Nathan forced a nod of his head in agreement, accepting his fate as the one who didn't seize this opportunity to not go to work.

  Rick patted Nate’s shoulder and disappeared back into his office.

  At his Mom’s house, the only sound that Nate could hear was the news blaring as high as the TV would probably allow. When he walked through the door he was blasted with a smell he knew all too well. His Mother probably figured the only meal that would bring any comfort with the news of the world may be coming to an end was her pasta marinara.

  Charlie’s nails scratched the hardwood as he tried to find his footing while simultaneously sprinting for the kitchen. Nate’s Mother let out a squeal and practically shouted, “Hi Charlie boy!”

  “Can you smile for me?” On command, Charlie raised his jowls the best he could until you could see almost the whole front top section of his teeth.

  “Oh, those are some pretty teefers, baby!” She then scooped a meatball out of the crockpot, cut it up, and put it onto a plate for him to eat. Nate walked into the kitchen and greeted his Mother with a hug.

  “Nathan, the world is coming to an end, and you went to work?” She turned back to stirring her sauce and pouring pasta into a boiling pot of water.

  “Ma, the world isn't ending, but there is going to be a lot of destruction and death. I thought the best thing I could do with my time was ensure my stockholders got the most value out of me just before the end.”

  “Nathan!” His Mother slapped his arm, rebuking him for his joke.

  Nathan’s Dad could be heard chuckling from the living room.

  “Hey Dad.” Nate waved as walked towards the living room.

  “Hey buddy!” His Dad’s eyes didn’t move from the TV screen as he called to him.

  Nathan walked into the living room as Charlie jumped onto his Dad’s recliner to give him a body slam.

  Nate sat on the sofa and put his feet up. Without looking and without hesitation, Nate could hear his Mom yell, “Shoes off the couch!”

  Nate took off his shoes and asked his Dad, “So what's the latest?”

  “They’ve been scrambling all day bringing in some random experts.” Nate’s Dad said, gesturing with air quotes. “They’ve been playing little social media videos of celebrities and influencers putting in their two cents. They've even had priests and such getting on to talk about religion and God, etc. But there’s only been a couple of new pieces of information to come out all day. It's going to land at about six am our time, and the weirdest thing… It's like a big square, and very flat. Almost like someone is slapping Earth with a giant spatula. I set an alarm for five to watch it.”

  He paused. "Have you seen it?”

  “What do you mean?” Nate gave a quizzical look.

  “You can see it in the sky plain as day, probably better now that it's night out.”

  Nate got up and went out the sliding door to the backyard and looked up to see it. A sense of dread came over Nate at that moment. Now that he could actually see the impending doom for so many in the world, he actually started to feel the worry that so many others must be feeling right now.

  His Mother called from the kitchen, breaking his trance: “Okay, boys, come dish up.”

  After dinner, the news was still running its non-stop coverage of the meteor.

  “The markets will remain closed until further notice.”

  “The military is in position to assist in the aftermath.”

  “The navy is abandoning its strategic positioning globally and has been sailing full speed to the landing zone.”

  The screen then split in two. One side showed thousands of people sitting in the sand, staring out at the horizon where the meteor was set to strike. Some held hands. Some prayed. Some just sat in silence. The other showed New York’s skyline; high-rises were packed with people treating the impending disaster like a New Year’s Eve countdown. The New York screen then switched to show the streets below filled with looters dragging out as many items as they could. Some were setting fires, others were running from the police.

  The news anchors were changing shifts and bringing in new anchors for coverage overnight.

  "For many, tonight will be a nightmare. For others, they will go to sleep and wake up in a different world. The meteor is expected to make an impact around eight AM Eastern Standard Time. God bless everyone along the coasts. God bless America."

  Nathan looked down at Charlie who had settled into the spot next to him on the sofa, and ran his hand through his fur while Charlie let out a satisfying sigh.

  Nate looked over at his parents holding hands as they slept in their own recliner chairs. Nate got up and adjusted their blankets and headed up to his childhood room to sleep for the night.

  ***

  Nathan woke up to the warm feeling of sunlight on his face and the muffled sound of the news droning on from the living room. He inhaled deeply, running a hand through his messy hair. The sound of eggs sizzling drifted up from downstairs accompanied by the smell of bacon.

  He took in his surroundings, adjusting to the familiar ceiling, one covered in faint glow-in-the-dark stars that had been stuck there since childhood. He blinked, confused, his brain slow to process the fact that he wasn’t in his apartment. Instead, he was in his childhood bedroom. Still alive.

  For a brief moment, he had to convince himself that yesterday had actually happened. The news of the meteor. The panic. The chaos in the streets. The military mobilization. Everyone was bracing for impact, expecting devastation if not outright extinction. And yet… nothing, at least in Denver, Colorado.

  A surreal sense of normalcy settled over him. It was almost enough to make him think the entire thing had been a nightmare. But no, his pulse elevated; his mind started racing. The world had been waiting for an impact. But something else had happened instead. He picked up his phone and saw that his notifications were swamped with the various news apps and a couple of texts from his sister in the family group chat.

  “Just had a briefing and am going to sleep in a tent next to my team’s OR.”

  The next one read, “Just had another briefing, really tense here. We are expecting to be overwhelmed by midday, but no one knows. There are plastic flood walls around the perimeter so we should be safe from any tidal wave this far north.”

  The last one read: “You’ve probably seen the news; we just got word we are packing everything up and heading back to the city. My chopper leaves in about an hour.”

  Relieved that his sister was okay, but very confused, Nathan swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet meeting the familiar creaky wooden floor, and headed downstairs.

  Downstairs, his Mother stood at the stove, flipping eggs with the same practiced ease she always had. She glanced over her shoulder as he entered the kitchen, her expression tired but otherwise unreadable. Charlie was right beside her with his tail gently sweeping the floor while he patiently waited for his breakfast.

  “Well, look who’s finally up.” She said, smirking. “Figured you’d be out for another hour at least.”

  Nathan rubbed his face. “What time is it?”

  “Almost nine," she replied, tilting her head toward the living room. “Go make a plate and sit with your father. You’re going to want to see this.”

  That sent a chill down his spine.

  His dad was in his usual spot, reclined in his old chair in front of the television, eyes locked on the screen. The news was still running, the anchor’s tone subdued but urgent. They had a slow, deliberate pacing that newscasters used when reporting something world-changing. Nathan grabbed a plate, piling on eggs and bacon before stepping into the living room. His Dad barely glanced at him.

  “Morning, kid.” His dad grunted, not taking his eyes off the screen.

  Nathan sat down, balancing his plate on his lap. He took a bite of bacon before swallowing thickly and finally asked, “Alright… What happened? Are we dead? Am I in some weird purgatory where Mom still makes breakfast?”

  His Dad snorted, shaking his head. “Smartass. Just watch.”

  Nathan turned toward the screen, his eyes narrowed as the anchor prepared to replay the footage that had the world in shock.

  The broadcast started with shaky, handheld footage of a livestream from someone on the East Coast. The camera panned up to the night sky, where a blazing object tore through the atmosphere. A massive fireball, growing larger with every second. The overlay on the recording read:

  LIVE: EASTERN SEABOARD IMPACT IMMINENT

  Nate’s grip on his fork tightened. But then something changed. The meteor slowed down. Not gradually, not naturally, but unnaturally, as if it had hit the brakes. As the fire from the meteor entering the atmosphere dissipated, the true shape of the object was revealed. A perfect square. Nathan sucked in a breath.

  The massive structure rotated mid-air, its dark surface reflecting the early morning sun. It didn’t crash; it hardly even rippled the water. Instead, it descended gently, coming to rest on the ocean’s surface as though it had been placed there.

  The footage cut to another angle, this time a livestream from a boat. A man and a woman stood at the edge, recording as they climbed onto the strange, floating platform. The surface was kind of smooth, but definitely man-made. Impossible for what would normally be thought of as a meteor from space. The footage cut forward to military helicopters circling overhead. Soldiers rappelled down with their weapons drawn. They rushed forward, shouting at the couple to leave immediately.

  Then, something happened in the background. An off-white stone archway, massive and ornate, steadily rose from the surface of the meteor. It pulsed with brilliant green light, an eerie glow spreading across the platform. The moment the glow intensified, the feed cut out.

  Nathan leaned forward. “What the hell was that?”

  His father exhaled sharply. “No one knows. That’s when the TV just cut to static, then came back on like nothing had happened. And then… we got this.”

  The broadcast switched again.

  This time the footage was clearly pre-recorded. The two individuals that stood before the camera were human, or at least, they looked human. A woman with auburn hair and piercing blue eyes, dressed in an elegant dark green uniform. A man beside her in a similar uniform, his features sharp, his expression calm yet authoritative. The woman stepped forward, speaking in perfect English.

  “Hello, people of Earth," she said, her voice clear and unwavering. “I am Ambassador Leira, and this is my colleague, Ambassador Veylan.” Veylan gave a small nod with a slight smile.

  “We have been sent as liaisons to formally extend an invitation to your planet to join the intergalactic community known as The Union.”

  Nathan’s breath hitched.

  Leira continued, “For many years, we have observed your progress. Though your species has faced conflict and division, we have also seen great potential. Because of this, The Union has determined that the time has come to extend an invitation.”

  Nathan felt a strange mix of emotions– disbelief, awe, even a little fear.

  Veylan stepped forward. “The choice, of course, is yours. Should your world accept, we will assist in your transition to the galactic stage, providing access to advanced technology, knowledge, and opportunities that will benefit your planet as a whole.” He paused, letting the words sink in before adding, “However, should your world refuse, we will depart, taking this gateway with us, along with the protections we have granted your planet up to this point.”

  Nathan’s mind reeled. Protections? What the hell did that mean?

  Leira smiled. “We believe in freedom of choice. You will be given the opportunity to decide for your planet as a whole. However, regardless of that decision, we extend an open invitation to any individual who wishes to immigrate to the Hub, starting now. There, you will find housing, employment, and the opportunity to thrive. The gateway will remain open for now, while my colleague and I go to meet with your world leaders to organize a way in which you all can choose if you will join us or not.”

  With that, the transmission ended. The newsroom returned, with the anchor sitting stiffly at the desk, struggling to maintain a sense of normalcy. The same talking points began to repeat. Silence filled the living room. Nathan finally exhaled. He turned to his mom, who stood with her arms crossed, watching the screen with an unreadable expression.

  “Well,” she said. “We aren’t dead. And apparently, there are aliens.”

  His Dad let out a dry chuckle. “Hell of a way to start the morning.”

  Nathan looked down at his phone as it buzzed in his lap.

  A message from Rick:

  "Office closed today. Back open tomorrow. See you then."

  Nathan snorted.

  “Thank God I don’t have to work on the day we find out aliens exist.”

  His Mom shot him a look. “Language.”

  Nathan just leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. The world had changed overnight, and this was just the beginning.