Author : Jake Teeny

When the first signs of alien life came, no one, of course, believed them. It took nearly every scientist from nearly every science to confirm that it was true:

Another form of life, on a planet other than our own was speaking to us.

Certainly there were doubters, as there are regardless of unanimity. But for the majority who believed that it was true, myriads of emotions shifted through them.

Rejoice. We are not alone!

Our God would not allow…

What does this mean for my children’s children?

The top analysts in cryptography from all across the world assembled to decipher the message, and with quiet breath, the world waited.

Every pundit with a camera had his or her most rational prediction. Water cooler chitchat. Late night whispers.

And then, one day, it happened.

At first, we only knew that there was some kind of disagreement between the code-breakers. A division. Seventy-two hours of heated debate.

But on a solemn day in late September, the lead analyst on the team held a press conference:
A warning. The message we had intercepted was a warning.

The extraterrestrial language had proved much more complex than ever possibly conceived. But as they augmented their understanding, an onyx message emerged:
They came for us. They’ll come for you.

The words that set fire to the globe as terror—seized—the world.

But after the shock, quick came denial. Surely they’d just read it wrong. Science’s made mistakes before. But as more of the alien tongue was unraveled, the certainty only cemented:
They came for us. They’ll come for you.

Within months, there wasn’t a news station talking about the amassing of weaponry. And as the ballooning power of nations was made aware, a subtle tension of wild destruction ensued.

One snap of a twig, and the world could crumble.

But humanity’s most superordinate category is human, and together, peace passed between brothers and sisters. The world.

It was one.

In unity, we waited. And waited. The communion between people did not falter, but the fear, admittedly, became less acute. And we waited. And waited. And waited. It seemed pointless to have all the weaponry divided, when we only had one foe. And we waited. In a single, world-shared bunker, all of humans’ capabilities for violence were harbored. And we waited. And waited.

And waited.

There came a time, when people tell stories of how there had once been a thing such as passports and wars. For left with only that single message from the aliens, we inevitably began to think, Well, now what?

To this day, there is speculation as to whether the intercepted message was the most elaborate scheme in human history. Fabricate a binding enemy, unite the disparate clans. And to this day, the scientists heartily deny it.

All the data’s there. Go and have a look right for yourself.

But even if you question, even if you doubt, the world’s a better place no matter how it turned out.