John Cooper's Perspective
As I walked around my apartment, overflowing with excitement and anticipation, I prepared for another attending meeting that could change the course of human history. There have been a lot of those in the past year or so. We had been tracking the alien ship for over a year, and it had followed the predicted path with eerie precision. It was in its final approach, and the tension was palpable.
My new role as "security advisor" was so thin that everyone in the meetings knew I was there to represent the military. Well, let them think, I was with the military anyways. The best lie was the one people created in their own minds.
Looking in the mirror, I looked the part of a military man. I wasn't out of practice from my SEAL days, so it wasn't a hard mask to put back on.
I felt a sudden vibration in my pocket and instinctively reached for my burner phone. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the message on the tiny display: "Keep a cool head and a chambered round."
I furrowed my brows and reread the message, trying to decipher its meaning. It was a warning from my boss, but what did it mean? Was there something dangerous about to happen at the meeting? My mind raced with possibilities as I tried to remain calm outside. With a deep sigh, I put the phone back in my pocket and turned to the mirror, trying to compose myself.
I reached for my gun and checked it, even though I knew without a doubt that it was already chambered. It was a reflexive action, a reminder that I needed to be prepared for anything. I holstered it and then made my way to the bedroom.
Once inside, I quickly grabbed three more magazines and stashed them in various pockets. I didn't know what situation I was walking into, but I wanted to be ready for anything. I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the magazines against my body, and then headed out the door.
As I got into my car, thinking about the alien ship that was almost here. My job was to present the security perspective at the meeting. But what would make a difference? The truth was, we were entirely unprepared for an alien invasion. The best we could hope for was a quick death.
I rehearsed my speech in my head, going over the different scenarios that could play out. The major gist of my presentation was that we were in big trouble, no matter how you looked at it. If the aliens were hostile, we were screwed. If they were friendly, we were still screwed because we could not defend ourselves from other threats in the galaxy.
I took a deep breath and let out a sigh. The reality of the situation weighed heavily on me. I knew I had to present the information calmly and logically, but keeping my emotions in check was hard. That usually wasn't so difficult, but I usually wasn't delivering the message of doom for my species and planet.
As I drove, I thought through the different scenarios I had rehearsed in my head. From a security perspective, the best-case scenario was that the aliens would release a pathogen targeting humanity, and we would all go to sleep, die, and not wake up. In the worst-case scenario, they would use their massive cannons to obliterate the planet. Scratch that. The actual worst-case scenario was as they slow down to park, they release the cosmic levels of poop they stored in transit and aim it at us at orbital speeds.
The only thing I needed to make a final choice about was the number of jokes I would say.
---
Sarah's Perspective
I snuggled up with my two kids on the couch, enjoying the warmth of their little bodies beside mine. It was the best part of my day, and even months after moving to Texas full-time, I treasured it more than anything else.
