The Last Transmission

2 — The Last Transmission

But while he was driving back to the city, a strange and unusual situation unfolded. Everything had been going smoothly, the road was calm, in fact, he was the only one on it.

The radio was blasting eighties rock at full volume. But soon, Mike had to grip the wheel tightly and slam on the brakes when a flash of blinding white light illuminated the sky with overwhelming intensity.

The light was so dazzling it nearly blinded him, forcing his eyes shut and making him lose control of the vehicle.

The car flipped over to the side of the road, crashing among the trees.

Luckily, the accident wasn't fatal.

Seconds later, Mike woke up. He had passed out when the car smashed into a tree, its front completely wrecked. Thanks to the airbag, he hadn't struck his head. He only had a shallow cut on his cheek, made by a shard of glass.

Slowly, he began to regain consciousness, and with blurry vision—that's when he saw it.

A humanoid figure, standing two meters tall, thin to the point that its ribs were clearly visible.

But then, a piercing hum overwhelmed Mike's ears, and once again, he drifted back into complete unconsciousness.

"Mike? Are you okay? What happened?" A familiar voice called to him desperately.

It was a man's voice, and though his head still rang with that incessant hum, Mike stirred.

The pilot's eyes snapped open, and he turned to his left. There stood Mr. Reynolds, flanked by a doctor and a nurse, both closely monitoring his condition. A surgical bandage had been wrapped around his forehead. He was wearing a hospital gown, a blanket covered his body on the bed, and his arms were hooked to machines reading his vital signs. Everything was working perfectly, the monitors beeping without incident.

"Sir… They… what everyone's been saying today, it's true. They exist! They're here!" Mike shouted with raw euphoria.

The doctor, the nurse, and Mr. Reynolds exchanged glances. The medical staff looked bewildered, confused, unable to comprehend the meaning of his words. But Mr. Reynolds understood. And he dared not dismiss Mike as delusional, because in his line of work, he knew very well that what his pilot claimed… was real.

"Doctors, please, leave us alone for a moment," Reynolds ordered.

The nurse and the doctor didn't argue. They simply nodded.

"Don't hesitate to press the emergency button under the bed if you need us right away," the nurse reminded before leaving with the doctor.

Reynolds nodded.

Once they were alone, Mr. Reynolds finally began to speak the truth.

Mike had calmed down a little, focusing intently on every word his superior had to say.

"Mike, listen carefully. Although the media has already started reporting on what's coming, what I'm about to tell you is extremely confidential. You cannot tell anyone—not even your family—until the live broadcast from the White House tonight. The president already has all the information, and we cannot risk chaos sparked by false rumors. Do you understand?"

Reynolds spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper, ensuring only Mike could hear. Before speaking, he had double-checked the room, making sure no security cameras were nearby. Some of them recorded ambient audio, and it would be dangerous if anyone overheard, even within the sealed hospital room.

Mike swallowed hard, nerves crawling across his skin.

In all his years as a pilot, serving at the United States Air Force base, he had never imagined a situation of this magnitude could be confirmed as real, unprecedented, and beyond comprehension. He had witnessed strange events before, but nothing like this.

"But sir… what I saw, they're already here. How can you stop the truth from spreading if they're already walking the streets, blending in like ordinary humans? How can you keep people from seeing them?" Mike pressed, his voice edged with panic.

Reynolds met him with those same cold, stern eyes.

"Calm down and rest. They'll keep you in the hospital overnight, just to make sure you're fine and haven't suffered any complications from the crash. Your car has been declared a total loss. I'll see to it that you're assigned a new one. In the meantime, remember—say nothing to anyone until the president's live broadcast tonight. Understood? I'll leave now. Tomorrow, I'll send the driver to bring you back to the base. I hope you've learned your lesson… and that you can finally learn to cooperate with the freak. Because after tonight's announcement, I'll need both of you working together."

Before Mike could ask another question, Mr. Reynolds practically fled the room.

At 7:00 p.m., Mike had his dinner on the hospital bed. The food was bland, flavorless, nothing compared to the meals his wife usually cooked at home. But at least it was something. When the cafeteria worker came by, Mike asked her to hand him the remote so he could watch the news. She gave it to him before leaving, and he turned on the television.

Sure enough, the president of the United States was broadcasting live from the White House.

LIVE from the White House (the caption read on screen before showing the president at the podium).

The president appeared before the cameras, his face grave, with the U.S. flag and the U.N. flag standing behind him.

President:

"Citizens of the world, tonight I address you not as the president of the United States, but as a fellow human being.

What many have suspected, what until just days ago was dismissed as myth, conspiracy, or internet hoax… tonight I must confirm before all of humanity: we are not alone in the universe.

For decades, evidence has been hidden, phenomena investigated, and secrets kept to avoid mass panic. But the time for secrecy is over. They are here. Our skies, our oceans, and even our cities have been visited by entities that do not belong to this world—entities that are not human.

And now we must face the truth: humanity stands on the brink of an invasion.

Our experts have confirmed that what we have seen in recent hours are not accidents or illusions. They are probes, scouts, the vanguard of a far greater force approaching with one purpose: to colonize our planet.

I will not lie to you. The threat is real. But so is our strength. Throughout history, whenever humanity has been cornered, we have always answered with courage and unity.

That is why, as of this moment, I have authorized the largest recruitment operation of soldiers, pilots, and engineers in our history. It doesn't matter if you are man or woman, young or old: your planet needs you.

The fate of Earth rests in our hands. United—not as separate nations, but as one humanity—we will resist.

Make no mistake: we will not surrender, we will not retreat. This is our home, and we will defend it… until the very end.

May God bless us, and may God bless humanity."

The broadcast ended, the screen fading to the seal of the United States of America.

Mike switched off the TV. Almost instantly, his phone began to ring—it was on the bedside table across the room.

Though still weak, he managed to get up. Luckily, the vital-sign monitor had wheels, making it easier to move. He reached the table, picked up his phone, and saw it was a video call—from his wife.

Mike hesitated, uncertain if he should answer. And yet he had to. Clearly, she already knew what was happening. Now it was his turn to explain.