The Exolibs (as the media started to call them) appeared again, hovering simultaneously above several major cities, and also above less populated areas. Witnesses from all around the world claimed to have seen them. In fact, these things had allegedly appeared in so many different places that everyone on Earth should have already been able to catch sight of them, yet some still pretended not to have seen a single strange object in the sky.
Angie stayed at home that night, while Marvin went outside. He left home, quite reluctantly, to go look for Gropius. Meanwhile, she was sitting on the couch and scrolling on her phone.
People were posting frantically on social media. Videos showing the gigantic spaceships were all over the Internet. One of them, captured in Russia, in Saint-Petersburg, collected billions of views. It showed a larger part of the spaceship's anatomy than what was previously available. On previous footages, the architecture was mostly hidden by thick clouds, and only small portions of it appeared visible.
On this video, the global shape was almost entirely revealed. Although built on a complex structure, the body seemed symmetrical and harmonious, sprinkled with round-shaped green lights, and moving without effort. It wasn't clear if the surface was made of metal or of some other unknown matter. It had a metallic shine to it, but it was so pristine that it might as well have been some sort of dark crystal.
LunaLyricist#23 commented : "OMG! These things are so beautiful…"
Angie kept scrolling down.
Quantum_Qasar88 said : "I'm so glad they're here!"
"It's been years I've been telling you they exist !" claimed UFO_Jesus. "No one believed me back then. Now who was right since the beginning, huh?"
"What are they made of? Is this metal? Seems weightless…" asked PixelPrincess.
"No, probably some quartz or zirconium…" replied Quantum_Qasar88.
"How do you know that? Are you an expert?" snaped Radiant_Rogue.
ZenZombie thought : "Don't pretend you know, you idiot. It might as well be a type of matter we don't know about. Maybe dark matter…"
Quantum_Qasar88 : " Yeah, dark matter emitting light. You're such a genius… Well I know what I'm talking about because my brother-in-law works at the…"
And the fuss was going on and on.
Angie was still scrolling.
Some persons even pretended to have seen the actual creatures outside their vehicle. The descriptions of these creatures were already widely spread, but didn't seem very trustworthy. Some described twenty feet tall slender humanoids with four arms. Some depicted insect-like monsters with faceted eyes, antennas, sharp mandibles and colorful elytrons. A poor quality footage went viral for showing some low-resolution moving slimes patrolling the streets of a city at dusk.
Apart from these more or less dubious accounts, the web was also full of contentious debates. One semantic question kept busy a lot of commentators who fought about the right manner to name the newcomers. As someone pointed out, "aliens", "extraterrestrials" or "strangers" might sound derogatory.
_CyberSorcerer_ posted this message and received many likes : "Are we going to show our usual inhospitality by calling them "aliens"? Is it really what we want to pass on for the first encounter? Why do we never learn our lessons from the past?"
Zara from the Zenith : "We're in the twenty-first century and still calling the others "aliens"? Really?"
SynthWaveSyren13_ : "Yeah, this is just as bad as using the N… word! There should be no borders in the universe."
Quantum_Qasar88 : "Why do we assume they are here to conquer us? This is our own despicable mindset. But why should they treat us respectfully if we start calling them bad names?"
_CyberSorcerer_ suggested : "Maybe we should ask them how they want to be called instead of imposing our own views…"
But since it was, for the moment, practically impossible to ask questions to the newcomers, a temporary consensus arose. These creatures from outer space ought to be called from now on the Exolibs, standing for Extrasolar Living Beings. This name was deemed respectful enough and finally accepted by the many. Later, the mainstream media would also start using the term Exolibs, and even the politicians would adopted it.
Actually, if someone dared to call them otherwise, he would quickly get reprimanded for bigotry. There was no shortage of teachers on social media, ready to school everyone about the proper manner to talk about the newcomers.
"Idiots" thought Angie aloud.
And after a short moment :
"Well, I guess I would have been just like them if I wouldn't have had you, Fluffy, right ?"
"Probably…"
"Still… I wonder… Maybe I would have been happier to be like them. Ignorant of the reality. And not having my baby involved in all this stuff. I don't want him to go."
"I know. But nothing too bad will happen to him. I promise."
"Nothing too bad? Is that supposed to be reassuring?"
"Fear not for your child. I have not chosen him for no reason. It was because I knew he would be strong enough to handle all the trials on his path. You see, humans are short-lived creatures anyway. Your life ends just like that, in the twinkling of a god's eye. And it is meaningless if you don't make the most of it. Life has no value, unless lived for the accomplishment of great things. Your son will participate in an extraordinary odyssey. It will be the adventure of his life! And he will not be alone. He'll have his goddess godmother to watch him. Very few humans are granted such a privilege, you know. You should rejoice."
"But when do you plan to take him for this supposed odyssey? "
"Soon."
"He'll be too young! It's just a baby. He has the right to live a carefree childhood. A child is not supposed to be put at risk to save the world, or whatever…"
"You're wrong. That's exactly why children come into existence. To start afresh and save the world."
Angie's face was expressing a deep concern, and also maybe a hint of sad joy.
Fluffy placed softly her paw on Angie's lap.
" He will have a great childhood. It's going to be a lot of fun for him. I promise."
"I trust you." replied Angie, with her eyes a bit wet.