Chapter 1.8: Revelations

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Tonight it was very late when I left the lab, so late that Sylvia was already sleeping when I was back home.

I would have liked to ask her if she felt better today, she keeps looking exhausted, it has been almost a week at this point. I'm starting to worry, that's it. But I don't want to wake her up, probably I can just wait until tomorrow morning...

Sylvia: Stuart, wake up! I must tell you one thing!
Stuart: (half asleep) huh?
Sylvia: I went to the doctor yesterday, you know?
Stuart: (still half asleep) doctor? What for?

Sylvia: ah, how can I tell you... well... he told me I'm expecting a baby. I don't know yet if it is a boy or a girl, but...

Stuart: ...

Sylvia: you didn't expect it, did you?

Stuart: ...

It was so early in the morning and I was still so sleepy, so I took a crazy amount of time to assimilate what she actually just told me. Then I stared at her with my mouth open without being able to say anything for a hardly quantifiable amount of time. 

I mean, this is not the kind of news people receive every other day, this is life-changing! Everyone needs some time to realize what that means, isn't it? Everything would have changed, were we really ready to start a family? And did we have enough money to raise a child?

I had never been particularly attached to my family, and I had never seriously thought about starting my own. However, even if Sylvia and I didn't meet long ago, sometimes I feel like I've known her for a lifetime. And thinking about spending my whole life with the same person and, why not, even having children, doesn't scare me if that person is her.

These and many other thoughts crossed my mind before I noticed Sylvia's expression, even if she tried to look cheerful and happy for the news I could tell from a mile away that she was worried. By now we know each other well, did she really believe that I could answer anything else than...

Stuart: I think this is fantastic! 

Sylvia: Really? Are you happy about it?

Stuart: Yeah. What about you, instead?

Sylvia: it is a bit... unexpected, but I wanted to have kids, sooner or later.

Stuart: cool. Everything will be fine, you'll see.

Still a little dazed by what Sylvia told me, I went to work as if it was any other day. "Experiments never stop!", this is our motto.

Stuart: Have you some time for a quick question?

Colleague: Sure, tell me.

Stuart: That satellite dish you asked me to build, it's quite weird, you know?

Colleague: why do you think so?

Stuart: You told me to point it in a very specific direction. It is a strange method, you know? I mean, usually, those attempting any communication with aliens try to cover the largest possible area with their signal, in order to increase the odds to have someone listening.

Colleague: ...

Stuart: it really doesn't make any sense to me, unless for some reason you already knew the astronomical coordinates of those to whom that message is addressed, don't you agree?

Colleague: Well, who knows...

Stuart: But...

Colleague: just keep transmitting that signal, okay?

This whole mystery is starting to get on my nerves, but I'm too curious to find any explanation and so I just continue with the transmission night after night, as I was told to. And, one day...

Nacho was playing happily with his ball when he suddenly stopped, as if he had heard something outside the door. We didn't even have time to wonder what was going on, that our living room has been invaded by those... guys.

They have the same proportions as us, they move just like us, they speak our language... Yet, they are so, unequivocally, ALIENS! And I'm here, in my house!

And so Nacho had been the first one noticing... He's a great guard cat, no doubt about it.

Alien: So, is the shipment ready?

Stuart: Shipment? What shipment?

Alien: If the nickel shipment isn't ready yet, why did you send us that signal?

Alien: Now that I notice it, this doesn't seem like your usual docking point. What happened?

Stuart: I think I'm at least as confused as you are, you know?

At least they seemed to be peaceful, as they arrived they just disappeared in no time.

After that unexpected intrusion, Sylvia and I couldn't sleep all night long, we just kept talking about it, trying to understand what just happened. Why did the aliens look so much like us? Why did they talk as if they were used to having contact with humans? And what about the nickel shipment they were talking about?

This time my colleagues had a lot to explain to me, that's for sure!

Colleague: Ah, so they went to your house! That's why they didn't show up here!

Stuart: (dazed) What? I tell you that six aliens have invaded my house, and do you react like this?

Colleague: We were wondering how much longer you need to notice this, you took forever!

Stuart: ... So, what's going on?

Colleague: Nothing special. Those aliens have a deal with our government, they teach us how their technology works and, in return, we give them resources.

Stuart: (suspicious) But if their technology is so advanced, what do they need our help for?

Colleague: Ah ... I'm late, maybe we can talk about it next time.

Is it still not enough? What else do they want to hide from me?

Maybe I should stop trying to contact the aliens, this is starting to seem dangerous. They know where Sylvia and I live, and soon our son (or daughter) will arrive here too. It seems that he only told me yesterday, but she is going to give birth soon, do you know, my dear diary?

Sylvia: Stuart, don't you want to have dinner together?

Stuart: (worried) just one second, I heard a weird noise in the yard ...

Could it be the aliens again?

Sylvia then told me that she saw that spaceship pull me aboard with that beam, and then disappear for several hours. She was about to call the police, when she saw it return back to just throw me into our yard, in the very middle of the night.

I don't remember a single thing of what happened, what could have they done to me?

I'm regretting more and more the day I started to work for that damn lab, what should I do now?

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