Chapter 2: The Signal from the Stars

The tires of Rose’s car crunched over the gravel path as she pulled into the secluded lot behind Stellanova. The building, with its sleek mirrored panels and quiet authority, looked more like an observatory than a lab. But behind those reflective walls, the real secrets lived.

She shut the door, her fingers tightening around her access badge. Dr. Cross's message echoed in her mind.

Don’t speak to anyone. Level 7 clearance.

That alone was enough to make her heart race. What could possibly require such discretion?

The corridors were unusually quiet. No distant chatter, no humming of machines from the lower labs. Just the faint buzz of overhead lights as she walked with quick steps, her sneakers barely making a sound.

She passed Labs 1 through 3, not even glancing at them. Whatever was happening in Lab 4—whatever was waiting for her—was too important.

She tapped her badge to the security panel, the door hissing open with a quiet breath.

Inside, the atmosphere shifted.

Lab 4 was a restricted wing rarely used. The air smelled sterile, like steel and silence. And Dr. Cross wasn’t alone.

Standing beside him was a woman Rose had only seen from a distance: Dr. Evelyn Mercer, head of the Stellanova Research Facility. Mid-fifties, sharp cheekbones, silver-streaked hair pulled into a tight bun. Her presence was calm but commanding—like the air adjusted itself when she entered a room.

Dr. Mercer’s gaze landed on Rose the moment she stepped inside. Cold. Unreadable. Like she was already being measured, weighed, judged.

“Ah, Rose,” Dr. Cross said with an encouraging smile, waving her over. “Come in. We’ve been waiting.”

Rose hesitated, then stepped forward. Her pulse quickened as Dr. Mercer studied her, arms crossed, eyes flickering with something she couldn’t name.

“This is Rose Hartwell,” Dr. Cross continued, with clear pride in his voice. “Top of her class. Quick thinker. Exceptional grasp of genetic mapping and quantum data analysis. Her research is already being integrated into our current simulations.”

Dr. Mercer gave the slightest nod. “I’ve read her reports.”

The words should have been flattering, but Rose felt more like she was standing before a judge than a mentor.

She took a seat at the long steel table, hands folded tightly in her lap.

“What’s going on?” she asked, glancing between them.

Dr. Cross didn’t waste time.

He tapped a few keys on the console, and the wall in front of them transformed into a large screen filled with swirling data, heat maps, and celestial coordinates.

“For the past seventy-two hours, our satellite array has been tracking a signal,” he began. “At first, it appeared to be an energy surge from deep space. Unusual, but not unheard of.”

He zoomed in on a flickering dot moving across the screen.

“But then… it changed trajectory.”

Rose leaned forward, eyes narrowing.

“It’s moving?” she asked.

“Yes. And not drifting like debris. This object is steering.”

Dr. Cross tapped again, and an image began to form. Not a clear picture, but enough for her to make out the silhouette of something smooth… metallic… and not from Earth.

A spacecraft.

Her breath caught.

“How long until it reaches us?” she whispered.

“Three hours,” Dr. Mercer said flatly.

Rose turned to her in shock. “Three—? That close?”

“We’ve tried to communicate,” Dr. Cross said. “Every known language. Signal frequencies. Nothing. It hasn’t responded, but it’s still heading directly toward Earth. Based on current speed and trajectory…” He pointed to a blinking map projection. “It will land within a 25-kilometer radius. Near the mountain basin east of here.”

Rose stared at the data. The heat signatures. The energy output. The unmistakable shape of a craft designed with intelligence.

“This isn’t a probe,” she said slowly. “This is… someone. Something.”

Dr. Cross gave her a look of quiet confirmation. “Exactly.”

Silence settled over the room for a moment as the weight of that reality dropped on all of them.

An alien vessel. Not theory. Not fiction. Real. Tangible. Hours away.

“Why am I here?” Rose asked, her voice low. “Why tell me?”

Dr. Mercer finally spoke again, her voice as precise as a scalpel. “Because this is a historical discovery, and we’ll need our best minds analyzing it the moment it arrives. Dr. Cross believes you can contribute. We don’t have the luxury of skepticism right now.”

Rose looked at Dr. Cross, who offered a calm, reassuring smile.

“You’re ready,” he said. “And I trust you.”

The monitor continued to flash, the signal growing stronger, closer.

Somewhere up there, descending from the vast unknown, was a being none of them had ever seen before. Rose felt a mix of fear and awe brewing in her chest.

“Shouldn’t we alert the government?” she asked.

“They already know,” Dr. Mercer said. “But this… this lab was chosen to lead the observation. We’ve been preparing for a moment like this for decades. Now it’s here.”

Decades? Rose’s mind spun, but there was no time to question it further.

Dr. Cross tapped the screen again. “We’ll move a retrieval team to the predicted site. If the craft lands intact, we’ll bring it here under classified clearance. Your job will be analysis—energy readings, cellular scans if applicable, and containment safety.”

“Containment?” she echoed.

“If there’s anything—or anyone—on that ship,” Dr. Mercer said, “we will secure it. And study it.”

The way she said it sent a chill down Rose’s spine.

“Understood,” Rose replied softly.

But as she looked again at the image on the screen, her heart twisted. Whoever—or whatever—was inside that ship… they were almost here.

And she had a feeling her life was never going to be the same.

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