Bob stood alone on the Resistance rooftop, staring at the night sky.
His shell still glowed faintly — like fireflies dancing beneath the surface.
He tapped it. "Either I've got space magic… or I'm mutating into a night lamp."
From behind, Maya joined him. "You haven't slept since the station."
Bob turned. "Hard to sleep when an ancient bug god implants something in your chest and then explodes."
"Point."
---
Testing the Gift
The next morning, the Resistance set up a test lab. No explosions this time — hopefully.
"Alright, Bob," said Dr. Singh, goggles on. "Let's see what your alien upgrade can do."
Bob focused. The glow from his shell pulsed outward — and a nearby drone floated into the air.
"Whoa," Maya muttered. "Telekinesis?"
Bob gasped. "I HAVE THE POWER."
He waved dramatically — and accidentally flung a chair into a wall.
Dr. Singh took notes calmly. "Interesting. Psychic amplification. But unstable."
Bob grinned. "Basically: awesome, but dangerous."
"Just like you," Maya said with a smirk.
---
The Dream
That night, Bob dreamt.
He stood in a city of metal trees and glowing rivers. In the sky, insect-like constellations shifted and whispered.
> "The Spark is not power. It is memory," a voice said. "The first flame passed down."
Bob turned — and saw himself… larger, armored, ancient. A warrior from a forgotten time.
Then it vanished.
Bob woke up gasping. "Great. Now I'm having ancestral visions. Just what I needed."
---
Meanwhile…
Far away, within the shattered remains of the orbital station, something pulsed.
A fragment of the orb. Still alive. Still watching.
Alien machines scuttled toward it. Their leader, a being of fused metal and bone, stared at the light.
> "The Spark has chosen a vessel," it rasped.
"Then we will burn the vessel."
It pointed toward Earth.
> "Send the Reapers."
---
Warning Signs
The next day, Resistance radars went wild.
Ten unidentified crafts. No signals. No sound. Just shadows, falling toward the planet like silent meteors.
Bob stood in the war room, watching the red blips close in.
"They're not here to spy," Maya said. "They're here to end us."
Dev nodded. "And fast."
Bob clenched his tiny fists. "Let them come."