The following morning, Alex and Elena sat across from each other in a small, stark government briefing room, the hum of fluorescent lights above setting an uncomfortable atmosphere. A handful of scientists and representatives from national agencies had been hastily assembled, each one murmuring about the "emergency meeting" they'd been called to attend. Alex couldn't shake the feeling that something was… off. He hadn't expected a crowd quite this large.
After a tense wait, an unmarked door opened, and a woman in a dark suit stepped inside. Her presence quieted the room instantly. She walked with an air of authority, her gaze sharp, assessing each person as though sizing them up.
"Good morning," she said, without a hint of warmth. "I'm Agent Keller, with the Office of Lunar and Extraterrestrial Anomalies—O.L.E.A., for short. I understand Dr. Warner and Dr. Vasquez have come to us with… unusual findings about the Moon's behavior."
Alex exchanged a glance with Elena, who looked equally bewildered. The "Office of Lunar and Extraterrestrial Anomalies"? He'd never heard of such a department.
"Thank you, Agent Keller," he began cautiously. "We've observed shifts in the Moon's orbit that we believe could be due to internal malfunctions of some kind. These shifts are triggering global tidal surges and seismic instability on Earth. And—"
"We're aware of the disturbances," Agent Keller interrupted, her gaze steely. "What we want to know is what evidence you have regarding the cause."
"Right," Alex continued, taken aback by her tone. He presented their charts and seismic data, detailing their hypothesis of a potential failure within the Moon itself. "Based on our readings, it appears something is... changing internally, affecting its gravitational balance. We hypothesize that there may be ancient technology—"
"We're aware of that, too." Agent Keller's voice cut through the room, and the assembled scientists looked at one another in growing confusion.
Elena spoke up, unable to contain her curiosity. "You… already know?"
Agent Keller gave a slow, deliberate nod. "We've been aware of the hollow Moon hypothesis for years. Our agency was founded on the assumption that the Moon could hold technology far beyond our own. To date, our studies and unmanned missions haven't yielded definitive answers, but we do know one thing for certain: there is an entrance."
Alex's heart raced. "An entrance?"
"Yes," she replied, her tone indicating she'd said too much already. "One of our earliest lunar surveyors detected anomalous readings near the Moon's South Pole. After years of analysis, we believe it's a potential access point—an entrance into whatever lies beneath the surface."
The room buzzed with murmurs, but Agent Keller raised a hand, and the noise subsided.
"Why haven't we explored it yet?" someone asked from the back of the room.
"Access has been... difficult," Agent Keller admitted, her face unreadable. "We've sent probes, but all attempts to navigate the entrance have failed. The structure has an energy signature that appears to disrupt most electronic equipment. And without live, human presence, we can't determine what's inside."
Elena leaned forward, curiosity written across her face. "Are you saying that our theories could actually be correct? That there's an ancient system inside the Moon that's malfunctioning?"
"Correct," Agent Keller replied flatly. "The agency's best scientists believe that if something has gone wrong inside the Moon, it could destabilize its orbit. And if it destabilizes enough, the consequences for Earth would be catastrophic."
The reality of the situation settled heavily on Alex. "So you want us to... go inside?"
Agent Keller met his gaze with a determined look. "That's precisely why you were invited here. Your findings gave us the final confirmation we needed. This isn't just about observation anymore. This is about intervention."
One of the officials at the far end of the table cleared his throat. "You have to understand, Dr. Warner, that this mission would be one of unprecedented risk and secrecy. The public cannot know about the Moon's structure or the agency's research into it. If we send a crew up there, you'll be under a strict oath of confidentiality."
Elena looked over at Alex, her expression both fearful and exhilarated. For years, they had studied space as an abstract, as a distant and uncharted domain. But now, they were being offered a chance to set foot into an ancient mystery—to step into the very heart of the Moon.
"What resources will we have?" Alex asked, his voice steady but his mind racing.
"We have a vessel prepared," Agent Keller said. "It's a prototype with shielding and navigational tech designed specifically for this mission. We'll need time to retrofit it with additional shielding to combat the electromagnetic interference, but it should be ready for launch within a month."
Elena exhaled sharply. "So… you already had this planned?"
Keller nodded, her expression firm. "We've been waiting for the right time. We simply hadn't realized we'd be facing a crisis this soon. Now, with the Moon shifting and Earth already starting to show strain, we're out of time."
The tension in the room was palpable. There was no longer any doubt in Alex's mind. He was on the brink of an impossible journey, one that would either avert global catastrophe or unravel the secrets of humanity's oldest celestial companion.
Agent Keller stood, looking at each person in the room as if binding them to this mission with her gaze alone. "We'll brief you on further specifics tomorrow. Dr. Warner, Dr. Vasquez—prepare your teams. You have the honor of being among the first humans to step into the unknown. But remember," she added, her voice dropping to a whisper that seemed to echo, "if we fail, the consequences are unthinkable."
The room emptied slowly, leaving Alex and Elena alone in the eerie quiet. They shared a look, both daunted and thrilled by the path ahead.
"Are we really doing this?" Elena asked softly.
"We don't have a choice," Alex replied, a steely determination settling within him. "The Moon's waiting, and so is Earth."
As they gathered their notes and prepared to head back to the lab, Alex's mind was already racing with plans, calculations, and the looming reality of the mission ahead. Tomorrow, they would learn the full extent of the journey before them. But for tonight, they carried with them a single truth: humanity's fate now rested on their shoulders.