The late summer sun cast a pale glow over New Detroit High School, the thick haze of pollution smudging the edges of its warmth. Evan Kane leaned against the chain-link fence of the school's parking lot, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the skyline. Towers of steel and glass loomed in the distance, their reflective surfaces tarnished by decades of industrial progress. Somewhere beyond them, faint streaks of light crisscrossed the sky, remnants of another meteor shower—the third one this month.
"You see that?" Evan asked, his voice tinged with unease.
Sophia Hayes, standing beside him, followed his gaze. She tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear, her hazel eyes narrowing. "Another one? Feels like we're living in some dystopian movie lately."
Evan didn't respond right away. His thoughts were elsewhere. The past few weeks had been strange, even for a city like this—erratic weather, reports of animals behaving oddly, and now these frequent meteor showers. He didn't buy into conspiracy theories, but it was hard to ignore how unnervingly coincidental it all seemed.
"Earth's falling apart," Sophia added, half-joking, though her tone betrayed her concern.
Evan sighed. "Yeah, well, it's not like we can do much about it."
The sound of hurried footsteps broke the moment. Maya, Evan's 12-year-old stepsister, bounded toward them, her oversized backpack bouncing with each step. Her small frame seemed even more fragile under its weight, but her grin was wide as she held up her tablet.
"Evan! Did you see this?" she asked breathlessly. Without waiting for an answer, she thrust the screen toward him.
On the screen was a shaky video of a glowing object streaking across the night sky, captured by someone's phone. The comments below speculated wildly—aliens, government experiments, a new kind of asteroid.
"Cool," Evan said, though his tone was flat. "Another meteor. What's the big deal?"
Maya puffed out her cheeks in mock frustration. "It's not just a meteor! Look at the trajectory—it's heading straight for Lake Erie. Some guy on the forums thinks it might be made of something extraterrestrial."
Sophia chuckled. "And you believe him?"
Maya shot her a defiant look. "Why not? Science doesn't have all the answers, you know."
Evan ruffled her hair, earning a scowl. "Alright, space nerd. Let's get moving before we miss the bus."
As they walked together, the conversation shifted to lighter topics, but Evan couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming—something far bigger than any of them could imagine.
A Fragile World
The maglev bus rattled softly as it glided through the city. Evan sat by the window, staring out at the towering skyline. New Detroit was a patchwork of progress and decay, its gleaming skyscrapers surrounded by sprawling shantytowns. Autonomous drones buzzed overhead, delivering packages or scanning for potential threats. Billboards flashed advertisements for the latest bioengineered foods and medical advancements, a sharp contrast to the beggars huddled in alleyways.
Maya, seated beside him, was glued to her tablet. She flipped through forums and news articles, occasionally muttering to herself. Sophia, sitting across the aisle, leaned back with her headphones in, her foot tapping absently to the rhythm of some song Evan couldn't hear.
"You've been quiet," Maya said suddenly, not looking up from her screen.
Evan shrugged. "Nothing to say."
She glanced at him, her brow furrowed. "You okay? You've seemed... off lately."
"I'm fine," he replied, though even he didn't believe it. The unease that had settled in his chest over the past few weeks refused to go away.
The bus slowed as it approached their stop, and Evan was relieved to have an excuse to avoid further questioning. As they disembarked, he couldn't help but notice a flock of birds flying in erratic circles overhead.
The School Trip
The next morning dawned gray and overcast, the kind of weather that seemed to sap energy from the air. Evan stood outside the school gates, waiting for the bus that would take his class to the New Detroit Biotech Institute.
Sophia arrived first, her ever-present backpack slung over one shoulder. "Excited for a day of staring at petri dishes?" she asked, her tone teasing.
"Thrilled," Evan deadpanned.
Maya arrived a few minutes later, chattering about some new conspiracy theory she'd read online. Despite her enthusiasm, Evan noticed the dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't been sleeping well lately—not that he could blame her. The world felt... off, like a clock ticking out of sync.
The institute was a gleaming testament to human ingenuity, its glass and steel exterior reflecting the muted sky. Inside, the air was cool and sterile, and the walls were lined with displays showcasing cutting-edge technology. The group moved from exhibit to exhibit, but Evan found it hard to focus.
That changed when they entered the section on extraterrestrial studies.
The Artifact
At the center of the room was a sleek glass case housing a fist-sized object that pulsed faintly with light. It was dark and smooth, its surface etched with patterns that seemed to shift when viewed from different angles.
"What's that?" Maya whispered, her voice tinged with awe.
The plaque beneath it read: "Specimen Alpha-9: Recovered from Meteor Impact Site, 2059."
"It's beautiful," Maya said, stepping closer.
Sophia leaned in beside her. "Looks like a fancy rock to me."
Evan approached slowly, a strange sense of unease settling over him. The object seemed... alive, in a way he couldn't explain. It hummed faintly, the sound just on the edge of perception.
When he reached out to touch the glass, the world shifted.
A sharp static shock jolted through Evan's body, and his vision blurred. For a moment, everything around him faded, replaced by a vast network of glowing lines stretching into infinity.
The hum grew louder, resonating in his chest, until it felt like his entire body was vibrating. Then, just as quickly as it began, it stopped.
"Evan!" Maya's voice snapped him back to reality.
He stumbled back, his heart racing. The artifact's pulsing light had dimmed, as if it had responded to him.
A security guard approached, frowning. "No touching the exhibits."
"It was an accident," Evan muttered, his voice shaky.
The guard didn't seem convinced but waved them along. As they left the room, Evan glanced over his shoulder. The artifact remained dim, but the uneasy feeling it had sparked in him lingered.
By the time they returned home, Evan's headache had subsided, but something still felt off. Colors seemed sharper, sounds more distinct. He could hear the faint rustle of leaves outside, the hum of a drone passing overhead.
That night, he lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind replayed the moment in the exhibit over and over. The glowing lines, the hum—it had felt like something waking up inside him.
A soft knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts.
"Come in," he said.
Maya peeked in, clutching her tablet. "Can I hang out here? It's... kinda creepy in my room."
He scooted over, making room for her on the bed. She settled in beside him, the tablet's screen casting a pale light.
"You think I'm crazy, don't you?" she asked suddenly.
"For what?"
"For thinking all this weird stuff is connected. The meteors, the animals, the artifact... It's all too much to be random."
Evan hesitated. He wanted to dismiss it, to tell her she was overthinking. But deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was right.
"I don't think you're crazy," he said finally.
She smiled faintly. "Thanks."
At dawn, Evan was jolted awake by a piercing sound. He sat up, clutching his head, as a voice echoed in his mind: "Genesis Framework activated. Initialization complete."
"What the hell..."
The voice was cold and mechanical, yet it felt like it was coming from inside him.
"Evan?" Maya stirred beside him, her voice groggy.
"It's nothing. Just a bad dream," he said quickly.
But it wasn't a dream. Something had changed. He could feel it—a new presence, a faint hum in the back of his mind.
As the first rays of sunlight filtered through the window, Evan stared out at the horizon, his chest tight with a mix of fear and anticipation. He didn't know what was happening to him, but one thing was certain.
This was only the beginning.