September 1st, 2057 the people of Earth discovered a wormhole just outside of the solar system. Three months later they sent the first probe through the anomaly. What they witnessed shocked humanity to its core...
The first images the probe sent back were of a world full of mega-fauna and flora like that of the jurassic Era. But then the signal was cut. People were scrambling trying to reestablish the link to the probe.
Finally, they got what they wanted! The signal came back! But with the new images they received came nothing but silence from its viewers...
The local inhabitants of this new world. Creatures that ranged from the size of a freight train at the smallest, to 150 story skyscrapers, were staring at the probe..
Unmoving..
Unblinking...
Focused on this alien device before them...
No one in the control room could understand what they were looking at. These alien creatures, huge, physics-defying, frightening Apex predators. Almost seemed to understand what this probe was.
Suddenly one of the group moved towards the probe and stopped just a few yards away. It was one of the smaller of them, covered in scales all over its body and five tendrils on top of its large head the smallest of which was 30 meters long. It's face looked similar to that of a canine mixed with a bearded dragon.
It slowly moved one of its tendrils towards the probe. And as it touched its surface something horrific happened. The tendrils started to glow and pulsate.
Inside the control room.
NASA
One of the technicians suddenly shouted "Sir! The probe is sending and receiving data!"
The Control room Flight director rushed over to see what was happening. "What kind of data is it receiving?"
"I don't know sir! It's all garbled up. It's almost like..." the technician suddenly starts to type in commands into the console. "Sir, if I'm right this might be a type of audio or visual feed. With your permission sir, I'll try using the stations AI to decode it."
The Flight director hesitates for a moment. "Do it. But keep your finger on the kill switch."
Almost immediately the data stream started to clean up. "Sir, I don't know what is happening, but I think the AI is working!"
The Flight controller said nothing and just stared at the incoming stream of data. "No.. it's not the AI. The raw data is clearing up before it even reaches it..." The Flight controller looked up at the creature on the screen. "It's learning how our network communicates! SHUT IT DOWN NOW!"
The technician presses a few keys and... nothing happens. "Sir! It won't shut down! I can't disconnect from the drone!" He said with fear in his voice looking up at the Flight controller.
But he wasn't listening. He was staring at the screen again... where one word was typed over and over in every language known to man.
PREY