Dr. Galleger looked through the transparent framework that separated his well-furnished office from the busy world outside. Aerial vehicles flew to and fro. Massive buildings—many even larger than the one he occupied—rose in the distance. The function of his heavily guarded building prevented people and other structures from being too close to it.
He gazed at the world he had helped build with satisfaction and amazement. There were so many differences between the present world and the one that had existed just a hundred years ago. This future was far better than anything he had ever imagined, and he was grateful to have lived long enough to see it.
So many diseases had been eliminated. Prosthetics were obsolete, as new body parts could now be grown in a matter of weeks. Life expectancy had risen so dramatically that people could comfortably live for about 200 years.
On the mechanical end, space ships which could jump several light years into space now existed. The tier of weaponry and amount of fire power the earth now possessed made her a force to reckon with in the entire galaxy.
The irony, however, was that all this positive change had begun with a tragedy—one that nearly tore the planet apart. A tragedy so immense it threatened the very existence of the human race.
"Good morning, Doctor," a familiar feminine voice greeted.
Dr. Rakeem Galleger turned just in time to see his office assistant close the door behind her and walk toward his desk, his cup of coffee in hand.
"Good morning, Rachel. How are you?" he asked, grabbing the much-anticipated coffee before she could even respond.
He fell into his chair and took a sip, letting his gaze drift once more to the city on the horizon. He was so immersed in the sight that he barely noticed Rachel's presence—or her eventual departure.
Everything looked perfect now, but as you might guess, it hadn't always been this way. In fact, the world had been on a downward spiral before humanity finally rose from the ashes of unprecedented chaos.
It all began sometime in the late 21st century. The world was at a turning point in its history as substantial evidence finally proved the existence of extraterrestrial life. The first manned ship had just landed on Mars, marking a monumental advancement in science.
But at what seemed to be the peak of human achievement, the unexpected happened. Humans were not the only species making discoveries. The first recorded visitation from an alien species occurred in the year 2100.
And no—this was not a "cute" moment. What followed was death by the millions within days. These intelligent beings came to conquer the planet and claim it as their own. With humanity standing in their way, they decided the "apex predators" of Earth needed to be eliminated.
This aliens, despite being just a few hundreds of them, wielded enough power to tear the entire planet apart.
Back then, Dr. Galleger was what many would describe as an eccentric scientist. While everyone else searched for ways to escape the monstrous invaders, he believed the solution to the world's problem lay within those very creatures.
"So what exactly are you proposing, Doctor?" asked a member of the emergency panel assembled to hear Rakeem's petition.
"It's simple," Rakeem began. "We've tried everything within our human understanding to combat this threat that aims to annihilate us. Not even our greatest nukes have any effect on them."
He paused. "We need to start thinking about extreme measures if we're going to survive another decade."
"What kind of measures?" another panel member asked during the virtual meeting.
"We need to study what this alien species is made of. That might bring us one step closer to defeating them."
"So you expect us to commit valuable resources and endanger more human lives based on speculation?"
"It's a risk worth taking for the sake of humanity. This 'speculation,' as you call it, might be our only salvation."
"Doctor, your contributions are appreciated," the head of the panel replied, "but right now our priority is preserving what's left of humanity. At this point, billions of lives have been lost. Our focus should be protecting humanity from extinction—not chasing after the very thing threatening to destroy us."
"Well, thank you for your time. I hope we both succeed in our endeavors," Rakeem said before abruptly ending the meeting.
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath as he sank into his chair. It felt as though they had made their decision long before the meeting and only convened to inform him.
Every step he had taken to push his idea forward had been met with one setback after another. Still, he couldn't blame them for rejecting his proposal—someone had surely thought of it earlier and failed. They weren't willing to waste hope, time, or resources on what they believed was a dead lead.
The alien species had proven to be the greatest challenge humanity had ever faced. They were practically indestructible, and any damage they sustained was reversed instantly, as though they possessed a rapid healing factor.
They also demonstrated incredible abilities: levitation, electromagnetic manipulation, explosive power, and more. It seemed everything humans threw at them only made them stronger. Despite being relatively few in number, the global human population—eight billion strong—was being reduced day by day.
At that point, Rakeem began to doubt the credibility of his own plan. Maybe it was a foolish idea to ask a dying species to risk more of itself on nothing more than a hypothesis.
"Doctor, someone is here to see you," said David, the guard in charge of the underground bunker where Rakeem and about thirty others were hiding.
As a well-dressed middle-aged man walked in, Rakeem immediately noticed two things: first, the man was certainly not a refugee in the bunker; and second, he was far too well dressed for the current state of the world.
"Who are you?" Rakeem asked instinctively.
"The answer to your prayers—and to the world's," the strange-looking man replied with an even stranger smile.