September 2070. Yucca Mountain Complex, Nevada. United Nations of America.

The following day, long before the first rays of sunlight would’ve painted the sky had there been a window in the underground facility to catch them, Liam found himself awake and filled with energy. Stretching out on the queen-sized bed, he couldn’t help but appreciate the comfort and luxury of his assigned quarters. The tastefully decorated room featured modern furnishing and light fixtures that he could adjust to follow the day and night cycle.

After switching into some old Army PT clothes, he stepped into the sitting area, greeted by a large television mounted on the wall. The comfortable couch beckoned him to relax and unwind after a long day’s work. He was sorely tempted to forgo his morning workout for breakfast and a little TV. He felt like a dishrag wrung too many times, each time able to absorb less and less water.

His body still felt battered from the beating it took in Guatemala, and the couch was a siren call lulling him to sleep just a bit longer. “Nope,” he flatly rejected while giving it a side-eyed glance.

This contract was his last chance to do something redeemable with his life. Liam couldn’t save the world, but he could help those that could, and he wasn’t willing to let anything compromise that. The veteran wouldn’t be sloppy, he wouldn’t let himself degrade any faster than he already was, and he damn sure wasn’t going to miss the gym this morning.

As he was psyching himself up, he spotted his sleek work computer abruptly power on in the adjacent office area. He could’ve sworn he’d shut the machine down the night before after poring over the material Flint sent over. He had long made it a habit to shut down his devices after using them to prevent any accidental security breaches.

He approached the computer and saw a popup dominating the screen. It appeared to be a message from Dr. Ellis asking him to complete a personality assessment ‘ASAP.’ Liam sighed, unwilling to give the administrator an even deeper look into his psychology. He checked his watch and decided to knock it out before leaving.

Before beginning, Liam crossed over to the small kitchenette tucked away in the corner. It was stocked with the necessities, allowing him to prepare simple meals and snacks whenever he didn’t feel like making his way to the cafeteria. The thoughtfulness behind these quarters didn’t escape him, and he made himself a quick sandwich before returning to his computer.

The test was unlike anything he had ever taken before. It started with logic puzzles that grew more difficult as he progressed. They stretched the limits of his problem-solving, critical thinking, and pattern-detection abilities. He’d always been good at those kinds of puzzles, so he sped through them, barely needing any time for them to unravel in his mind.

After that, it quizzed him on several historical and cultural topics. Liam was confident he aced that part, having served in several parts of the world and absorbing their history, culture, and societal dynamics by necessity.

The final part of the test was a series of ethical dilemmas that he had to navigate. He wasn’t sure he did well by whatever standard the doctor might apply. His ethical decisions were based on his experience in combat, likely completely antithetical to Ellis’ cushy research life.

When he finished, he rechecked his watch, seeing that an hour had passed. He had to admit it felt much shorter. He clicked the ‘submit’ button, and his computer seemed to glitch. The screen flashed bright white, nearly blinding him. As he blinked his eyes, he swore he saw the afterimage of a face, but the screen was black, and there was nothing to indicate anything but a glitch.

“Damn, ghosts.” He muttered before getting up from the desk and hurrying out of his quarters. It was already later than Liam wanted, and he still needed to get a workout in.

Liam jogged through the quiet corridors, marveling at how the facility seemed almost tranquil during the early hours. The only other people he encountered were the ever-present security personnel who roamed on patrol.

Upon reaching the gym, he found it deserted except for a few like-minded contractors. The room was spacious and filled with state-of-the-art exercise equipment. The walls held thin televisions screens that the gym goers could adjust.

After a quick series of warmups and stretching, Liam wasted no time and began his workout. He pushed himself through various sets of weights, each repetition a testament to his years of training and experience. His movements were fluid, and his form perfect. When he switched to cardio in the latter half of his workout, he set such a pace that he drew the attention of a member from Redwater on the treadmill next to him.

“Damn, old man. I’m not even sure I can run that fast,” the younger guy commented, half-joking, half-suitably impressed.

Liam wiped the sweat from his brow as he held a rigorous pace on the treadmill. “Old habits die hard—just like old men,” he cockily replied between heavy breaths.

Instead of replying, the younger man pushed the speed up on his treadmill. There was a sense of friendly rivalry between them, and by the end, Liam was sucking wind as he tried to keep up with the man fifteen years his junior.

As usual, the universe decided to humble him, and without warning, a sharp twinge of pain erupted in his left calf. It felt like a tight knot had suddenly formed, causing his leg to buckle slightly. He tried to recover but only caused himself to stumble, rolling his ankle and eliciting a hiss of pain. With a grimace, Liam tried to push through, but the hot knife pricks were stabbing him in the ankle and calf. He slammed his hand on the emergency stop button with a snarl.

The treadmill decelerated rapidly. Liam hopped off, gripping the machine's handles to take some of the pressure off his left leg. The younger man stopped his machine and looked at him in a mix of concern and curiosity.

“Hey man, are you alright?”

“Think I pulled something,” Liam replied through gritted teeth, massaging his calf as he tried to alleviate the sharp pain.

“You need to stretch it out,” the younger man tried to be helpful. “And ice it later. Might help with the inflammation.”

Liam nodded, trying to appear grateful, though it was galling for someone a decade and a half his junior trying to tell him how to treat a training injury. “Thanks,” he managed to say, still wincing.

Liam made his way to the exit with a slow, limping gait. As more personnel arrived to kick-start their day, the gym was bustling with activity. It made his limp of shame even worse. However, he put on a neutral expression as he noticed a few civilians trickling in. He could easily pick them out from the security. They didn’t have the hard edge and aura of danger that followed the veterans like a dark shadow, and he’d be six feet under the ground before he gave off anything less. Liam knew that was his pride and vanity talking, but he didn’t care.

With agonizing slowness, Liam returned to his well-furnished quarters, took a quick shower, and changed into his contractor clothing. After a quick stop by the cafeteria, he settled into his office with a mug of coffee. Thankfully, the ghost seemed to be leaving him alone because the computer was functioning perfectly.

He pored over the map of the facility and methodically memorized the layout. The picture in his mind was hazy, but he knew the details would firm up after his tour with Flint. He looked over the contingency plans and emergency evacuation protocols provided by the Head of Security and didn’t find anything significant he would change. If it weren’t broken, he wouldn’t try to fix it.

He finished his review of the documents fifteen minutes before he was supposed to meet with Flint. Liam finished his coffee and then began the long march to the other side of the complex where headquarters for the facility were nestled.

Liam walked into Flint’s office and found him perusing through reports at his desk. When Liam walked in, he placed the documents aside and grinned at the other man. “The quarters are much nicer than a barracks, huh?”

“Without a doubt,” Liam nodded his head. “You ready to get started?”

“Yep,” Flint affirmed as he rose from his seat. “I typically hold a morning shift meeting around this time, but they’ll survive without me.”

Liam frowned, “Sorry, didn’t mean to intrude.”

“You’re not,” Flint made a placating gesture. “We’ll do our jobs until the last second of changeover, but the guys are already imagining going home. Most of the time, the meetings are quick unless there’s been an incident overnight.”

“I hope we have similar experiences,” Liam said dryly, making way for Flint to pass him.

As they began the tour, Flint led Liam through the labyrinthine corridors of the underground complex. The facility was a marvel of technology and secrecy, with its advanced research labs and state-of-the-art facility. There were cameras, retinal scanners, metal and chemical detectors, and sensors that tracked everything from unauthorized signals to body heat. Flint went into great detail about all the methods they had to secure the facility and how Liam could access them.

They passed by the labs where scientists huddled over sophisticated equipment, their faces alive with curiosity and determination. Flint made introductions where appropriate, but this part of the tour passed in a blur for Liam. Anytime one of the civilians spoke about what they were working on—it felt like they were speaking another language to the military veteran.

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

He tried to show an interest, wanting to start with a positive relationship. Still, more often than not, his comments devolved into “Wow,” and “That’s truly groundbreaking” —even when Liam had no idea what the other person was trying to say.

Flint continued the tour, showing Liam the various access points and the high-value targets in the event of successful infiltration. The other man even pointed out the equipment marked for destruction should the facility fall into enemy hands. It was highly improbable, bordering on impossible, for such a scenario to occur, but it was their job to plan for the eventuality anyway.

Toward the end of the tour, Flint stopped and gave him a strange look. “Alright, are you ready to see the most impressive part? I saved the best for last.”

Liam sighed, his injured ankle throbbing. “I think I’ve seen more technological gizmos in a day than I’ve seen in my entire lifetime.”

“You’re forgetting the most important gizmo of all,” Flint slyly riposted.

“What’s that?” Liam asked, pain and mental fatigue clouding his thoughts.

“The spaceship.”

The words immediately sent a spike of adrenaline through Liam’s veins—his discomfort pushed aside in favor of childlike curiosity. “Yeah, let’s definitely check out one more gizmo,” he said before smiling broadly.

Flint led him to a part of the facility they had briefly passed through earlier in the day. Checking his mental map, Liam remembered a huge unlabeled portion just past a gigantic set of hangar doors.

The Head of Security walked toward a palm scanner embedded into the wall next to the door and placed his hand on it. After a few seconds, the security system confirmed his identity, and then a klaxon sounded while the overhead lights flashed yellow. The hangar doors ground open, and the two men stepped inside before the doors completely opened.

On the other side of the threshold, a gigantic space revealed itself. It was perfectly square, at least three miles long on each side, with a ceiling that stretched high enough to fade into blackness. In the direct center, a mercury-colored saucer floated above the concrete floor. It was perfectly smooth, as if some giant had sliced the top off a perfect sphere. The researchers had erected scaffolding around the entire spacecraft, and Liam spotted teams of them scuttling along its surface like ants, comically tiny compared to the gargantuan ship.

Flint waited for the moment of shock to fade before breaking the silence. “It’s perfectly engineered, measuring about three thousand, two hundred meters in diameter.”

Liam did the conversion in his head. “That means it’s almost a square mile,” he said with awe.

“Yep, let’s go take a look inside,” Flint said with a smile.

They walked toward a waiting fleet of golf karts and drove one closer to the floating spacecraft. When they reached the scaffolding, they got out of the kart and walked to where a set of stairs led up to an open port in the spacecraft.

“How did they get that door open?” Liam wondered aloud as they ascended the scaffolding.

“It’s the damnedest thing,” Flint commented. “It was the only part of the ship that allowed them inside. The entrance leads to some sort of medbay. There’s more technology there than the nerds could figure out over half a dozen lifetimes. The rest of the ship is locked down tight. Whatever material the hull is composed of can’t be cut, blasted apart, or manipulated open. Plenty of consoles theoretically should have allowed access, and they’ve been able to translate most of the alien language from what’s available. Still, it seems the controls are operating under different logic.

Liam whistled lowly as they stepped inside the aircraft. The interior was unlike anything Liam had ever seen before. He was struck by the stark contrast between the futuristic technology and the clearly inferior human contraptions that littered the expansive room. The air hummed with subtle energy, and a harsh white light emanated from panels lining the walls and embedded within the ceiling.

The layout of the medbay was fluid, almost adaptive, with contours and curves that seemed to conform to the needs of its occupants. Shimmering holographic displays hovered over medical beds. Had someone been laid upon one, he imagined they would show vital signs and other health-related data. Even now, they displayed intricate data in a language he couldn’t comprehend.

The beds themselves appeared to be constructed of a material that molded to the shape of the being lying on them. Every time a researcher neared one, it would subtly shift in response to the person’s movements. It was clear that this medbay was designed to care for multiple species with different physiological requirements.

Strange-looking instruments and devices adorned the walls and ceiling, each exuding an aura of advanced technology. At the same time, one corner of the medbay housed a peculiar-looking machine that pulsed with a soft, green ethereal light.

As he ventured further, Liam noticed a separate area dedicated to surgical procedures. Transparent domes hovered above sleek operating tables, creating a sterile environment that blended seamlessly with the rest of the spacecraft’s design. Mechanical arms with a plethora of attachments hung from the ceiling over each table like sleeping artificial spiders.

The most intriguing part of the medbay was a floating crystalline orb positioned at its center. As the pair approached, Liam saw the globe swirled with a mass of watercolor energies resembling an abstract galaxy encapsulated within a glass sphere.

A soft melodic hum filled the air, and Liam could feel a subtle energy radiating from the orb. He jumped away from the alien artifact like a cat drenched in water before Flint started laughing at his expense.

“This is the heart of the medbay,” Flint explained. “The science guys think it’s some sort of scanning tool used to diagnose patients, but if they’re being honest, they don’t know any better than you or me.”

The Head of Security guffawed before adding, “Sorry, not sorry, for not telling you about it. I don’t get many opportunities to show off things to people who know even less than me.”

Liam allowed his heartbeat to settle before replying. “No worries, I’m just happy I didn’t get evaporated by some alien death ray.”

The former operator spared a suspicious glance at the floating orb before taking the rest of the room in. As much as he wanted to investigate everything the room had to offer, he had a job to do. “Any security implications outside the obvious I should be aware of?”

“Yeah,” Flint said, his tone turned serious. “This isn’t just a place to hide the aircraft—it’s a big damn hangar. You couldn’t see the entrance coming in, but the whole ceiling can retract to allow this bad boy to fly.”

“Have we been able to get it airborne?” Liam wondered aloud.

“Nope. From what I hear, transporting it is awkward but doable. It’s light as a feather, and the ship has allowed us to transport it cross-country each time we needed to move it for security reasons. However, moving something the size of a square mile is hard without attracting attention. Any time the government relocated it, it’s taken years of planning and coordination.”

“Allowed us?” Liam picked up on the peculiar phrasing and turned his gaze toward the other man.

“Yeah, the scientists suspect it uses gravity manipulation technology for propulsion,” Flint explained. “Theoretically, it should be fixed in place, and we don’t have the technology to so much as scratch it, but the ship lets us redirect it as needed—tame as a kitten. Before you ask, we don’t know why.”

Liam laced his fingers and tapped his thumbs together, an unconscious pose he took when he was deep in thought. “And we don’t have access to other parts of the ship?”

“Not a single one,” Flint affirmed. It’s like the ship is smart enough only to give us enough access to keep us from trying to blow it up. We get to study its technology, but only the life-saving applications.” He gestured around the room. “There’s enough here to keep us busy for generations, and yet we don’t have permission to see anything that could even be remotely used for warfare. It makes a kind of sense, but I’m sure it frustrated the UNA brass to no end.”

“I bet it does.” Liam nodded. “But if I’m being honest, it’s a bit relieving. The world is a dark place right now. I don’t see it improving by providing the UNA with better weapons.” He couldn’t help thinking about the many times he had been asked to slaughter starving and desperate people. The UNA didn’t need a more effective way to purge them—they were doing just fine on their own.

Flint scowled but eventually relented. “You’re not wrong. I’m sure you’ve seen just as much pain and suffering as I have, but I can’t help but wonder if this technology could’ve been used to end the war quicker. Maybe some of our friends would be alive today.”

“Peace through strength,” Liam quoted an old political party from when the UNA had only been known as the United States.

Flint shrugged helplessly, “maybe.”

After observing the civilians bustling around for a while longer, the two men decided to call it a day. They exited the ship and made their way back to the hangar entrance. As the hangar doors shuddered to a close, Flint turned to Liam.

“What do you want to do next?” he asked.

“I think I’ll leave you alone for a few days. I want to look around on my own and try to come up with any conclusions outside the ones you’ve already noted. Maybe a fresh set of eyes will lead to something new. I don’t want to fall into a complacency trap just because you’ve done well organizing the security so far.”

“Fair,” Flint acknowledged. “Let me know if you find something. We can ensure we have it fixed before the rest of your team arrives, and I can hand over the facility better than I found it.”

Liam nodded, appreciating the professionalism and commitment the other man was displaying. Flint was the type of man that he could see himself being friends with once the contract was complete.

The two men went separate ways, Flint to his office and Liam to his quarters. Now that he was alone with his thoughts, he couldn’t help but think how awesome it was to get the opportunity to be inside an alien spacecraft. His sheer incredulity was tempered by the implications of extraterrestrial technology and its effect on the world. On the one hand, he still stood by the position that such technology might be better off lost until the world was more stable.

On the other hand, had the UNA fully accessed the ship’s secrets, they could’ve theoretically created highly advanced weaponry and defense systems. The spacecraft’s propulsion and energy systems could have paved the way for faster-than-light travel and limitless energy sources. Any nation possessing such technology would’ve had an unparalleled advantage over the others. The implications for national security and military dominance were immense.

However, power always came with responsibilities. Using the technology to gain an edge in warfare could lead to an arms race among nations, heightening tensions and potentially triggering conflicts that could prove even more catastrophic than MERS-44. Even now, Liam assumed that countries had developed even more lethal bioweapons than MERS-44. Proof of the effectiveness of bioweapons in combat was a genie that couldn’t be put back into the bottle.

In this situation, the moral responsibility of safeguarding human life clashed with the temptation to exploit technology for geopolitical advantage. Liam didn’t trust that the UNA or the Nationalist Party had the purest intentions for the spacecraft.

There was a time before the war when the government didn’t control practically every facet of their citizens' lives. The Iranian War and the global pandemic changed everything. Everyone had been so scared back then that they had clutched the authoritarian movement like a lifeboat on a sinking ship. Liam didn’t blame them. Hell, he had contributed indirectly to their seizure of power by enlisting in the Army and later signing up for the CIA. However, time and perspective lent the clarity of hindsight, and looking back—he didn’t like what he saw.

Liam was jolted from his thoughts by his arrival at his quarters. He must have gotten more distracted in his old age because he couldn’t remember the journey. Regardless, there was nothing the operator could do about the situation. He was just a typical contractor providing security for the facility. Liam didn’t make policy decisions—he enforced them. Until that changed, he just had to focus on his duty and forget the rest.

He placed his hand on the palm scanner that secured his room and checked his identity before allowing access. He went through his nightly routine before passing out in his bed, dreams filled with alien spaceships and old battles.