John formed a fist and pumped it. His insides vibrated and he felt a lightness in his chest. On the automated flight back to Washington Air Force Base, John flipped through videos on the HUD of his fighter’s canopy. He gawked from embarrassment every time they showed John approaching the Meridian Gate and getting zapped. Thankfully those moments were largely overshadowed by the way they spoke about John. They were all talking about him. They called him a hero. He had never heard that before. They spoke about his acting career…and for once they were actually saying nice things about it. It was like his whole world turned upside down in the best possible way. They kept saying his name. John Drayton. It sounded so good on television.

  The first time he saw the footage of him getting zapped, he thought of everyone back at the bar nagging him for ‘flying too close to the sun.’ But after seeing himself on the newscast footage, new thoughts of immeasurable fame clouded his mind.

  When he landed the fighter, he hurried across the hangar and into the admin building. He spoke to Emily on the phone while he rushed to the debrief with Admiral Valentine.

  “Babe, my heart is pounding,” John said. “How many people were watching?”

  “Everyone!” Emily said. “They’re calling you a hero, babe. Are you hurt?

  “No, I’m fine, honey. What are the neighbors saying?”

  “The whole neighborhood is here with flowers and gifts. I’m feeling so loved…when are you coming home?”

  “After this briefing, I hope.”

  “John…I need you here.”

  “I’ll be home as soon as I can. I have a meeting with Mark. I’ll try to cut the leash and dip after that.”

  John stepped into the elevator. It descended.

  “Love you, Emily.”

  “Love—”

  The signal terminated.

  John shoved his phone into his pocket. He dusted off the shoulders of his flight jacket. He ruffled up his hair which was an absolute mess. He wished he had a comb. When the elevator doors opened he rushed down the corridor where no less than twenty different officers shook John’s hand and congratulated him on the successful mission. One officer said the UEF needed more soldiers like him. He soaked in all of the attention. He would have loved to stay and talk all about him, but he had to debrief Valentine on the discovery that would change humanity forever.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  John walked into Admiral Valentine’s office.

  Valentine let out an impatient huff. He had a downcast expression. When he spotted John, he extended a polite but suppressed smile and motioned for John to sit.

  “Mark? What’s wrong?”

  “Everyone else is celebrating while we’re dealing with something very serious.”

  “It’s a big alien ring. What is there to know?”

  “That ring disabled the electronics on millions of dollars worth of drones as well as our most advanced fighter craft.”

  “Yeah…I can see how that’s a problem.”

  “There’s more. I’m getting calls from President Carthage and from Pope Gregory who are asking me questions about this thing’s potential for harm. They’re asking if we saw aliens.” Mark swallowed. “You didn’t see any aliens did you?”

  “No aliens. It’s clearly alien but I didn’t see any little green men. No tentacles No space ships.”

  “Thank God.”

  “What did you tell President Carthage and his Holiness?”

  “We’re investigating the object further. What else could I say? What do you think we should do about this?”

  “You’re asking me?”

  “You were the first person to come within six inches of the thing. This isn’t your first day, John.”

  “I’m leaning toward destroying it.”

  “Be serious.”

  “I’m not joking. It’s dangerous. Something about it didn’t feel right.”

  “President Carthage won’t authorize its destruction based on your feelings.”

  “You asked for my opinion and I gave it to you.”

  “Well, we need to give him something else.”

  “Study it, then. Why don’t you send someone else to investigate? Maybe it will zap some knowledge into them. I think it’s dangerous and we shouldn’t go near it. All that screen time was nice, but that ring disabled my craft. That’s an act of war.”

  “With who?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I don’t like it, either. This is uncharted territory.”

  “Send the science boys. Let them play with it.”

  “I’m not handing it over to them. Not yet. I’m not even sure how to retrieve it. But that gives me an idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  “We have ten drones in the hangar next door.”

  “We’ve already tried that.”

  “I know…but it’s those feelings you like to talk about…and that thing whirred to life and it’s spinning now so let’s try it again.”

  “You want me to pilot the drones and poke around some more?”

  “Thanks for volunteering. I’ll call the President for authorization.”