Watching the elderly man, who looked every bit the successful professional, enter the theater, George finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mike, keep an eye on Shelly for me, okay? I'll wait in the car until you guys get out..." George finally agreed to his youngest son's request to see the sci-ed film, though he clearly hadn't completely let his guard down.
It was understandable. No parent would feel entirely comfortable letting their kids wander off alone in such a strange place in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, Mike was there to chaperone.
"It's okay, I'll look after Sheldon," Mike assured him, understanding his concern.
Although he didn't know what was waiting for them inside the theater, with his current physical stats, Mike was confident he could handle any surprises. Besides, the tickets were a gift from Dr. Ronald, so it was unlikely anything terrible would happen.
After getting their tickets checked again, Mike and Sheldon successfully made their way inside.
The theater wasn't huge, and the crowd was sparse—only about two dozen people.
Perhaps because they were strangers, no one was chatting. The room was dead silent.
Young Sheldon didn't seem to mind the atmosphere at all; he led Mike straight to the front row and sat right in the center.
"Hey, man. What's with the kid?"
Mike had barely sat down when a young man in a black hoodie leaned over from the next seat to ask.
Noticing Mike's gaze, the young man smiled to show he meant no harm and lowered his voice. "I'm Colin. I'm a freelancer."
"I'm Mike. High school student," Mike replied, keeping it brief.
Mike noticed a flicker of surprise cross the young guy's face the moment he mentioned his status.
"Is there a problem with that?" Mike asked.
"No problem, you guys are just... really young," Colin said, choosing his words carefully. "Most people invited here are high-achievers in their respective fields. Like that old guy over there—he's got a double PhD in Physics and Biology from Harvard..."
Mike followed Colin's gesture and spotted the elderly man who had entered just before them.
Looking around, Mike realized that most of the twenty-odd people in the room were over thirty and dressed impeccably.
Clearly, this was an elite crowd.
And the guy next to him—Colin, the twenty-something in a hoodie with a bit of a nerd vibe—was probably more than he appeared to be, too.
"Can you fill me in on what this is about?" Mike asked, looking away from the crowd.
"You didn't do any research before coming?" Colin looked genuinely baffled. He glanced back and forth between Mike and Sheldon. "Where did you guys even get your tickets?"
"It was a gift," Mike answered.
"That explains it. Otherwise, you wouldn't be bringing a kid to a gathering like this..." Colin nodded, looking like he'd solved a puzzle.
People who got into these private screenings were usually invited directly by the host—specifically targeting the "successful" demographic. Someone as young and unestablished as Mike wouldn't typically make the list.
Colin figured their presence was likely a fluke. After thinking it over for a second, he decided to share what he knew.
Apparently, small gatherings initiated via these movie tickets had happened before. According to online records, they were incredibly secretive. Outsiders rarely knew what actually went down.
Colin's other identity was actually a hacker. He had stumbled upon information about these meetings online and got curious. When he finally received an invitation, he was pretty hyped.
His goal tonight was essentially to blow the lid off whatever was happening here.
Just as Mike was about to dig for more info, a middle-aged man in a white lab coat walked to the front of the room.
"I am Francis, a researcher from NASA. I am honored to have you all here..." Francis introduced himself.
Mike noted the white coat was indeed standard NASA issue. However, he saw a glowing orb labeled [Acting +10] drop from the man, which made him realize things weren't as simple as they seemed.
Yes, that glowing orb fell right off Francis.
On stage, after his brief intro, Francis smiled and continued, "Humanity may not be alone... What you are about to see will likely shatter your worldview. Please, enjoy."
As he finished speaking, the theater lights dimmed. A projection lit up the screen at the front.
"Mars. The fourth planet from the sun and one of the eight planets in our solar system. It is a terrestrial planet... The reddish crust indicates a surface rich in hematite..."
Accompanied by a narration straight out of a science class, the screen showed the Martian landscape from the perspective of an exploration rover.
"Is this just a normal documentary..." Colin watched the screen, clearly disappointed. He was here to break a major story, not watch a science class.
Young Sheldon, on the other hand, was watching with intense focus.
Just as Mike started to think he was overthinking things, the image on the screen suddenly shook violently. A massive tentacle swept past the camera lens.
"Whoa!"
The sudden twist drew a gasp from the audience.
"That's not CGI..." Colin stared unblinkingly at the screen, trying to analyze every pixel.
Sheldon's face was frozen in shock.
The camera angle shifted to reveal the owner of the tentacle—a colossal octopus monster.
The creature seemed highly intelligent. realizing the rover was filming it, it lashed out with another tentacle, smashing the machine to pieces.
The footage froze on a close-up of the octopus monster's hideous head.
"Incredible. The Octopod aliens are actually real..." Sheldon muttered to himself, dazed.
"Incredible is right..." Colin gasped.
With his professional eye, he could tell the footage on the screen was authentic. Which meant aliens were real.
This truly was a worldview-shattering moment.
Although the monster only appeared briefly, it sent a massive shockwave through the audience. The murmurs grew louder.
"Settle down, please."
As the discussion heated up, the lights suddenly came back on. Francis walked back onto the stage, looking satisfied with the look on everyone's faces.
He continued, "As you have seen, we are not alone. Aliens exist, and they aren't just in outer space. To my knowledge, many aliens are living right here on Earth. They possess advanced disguise technology and are hiding among us..."
If Francis had led with that, everyone would have called him crazy.
But with that footage as evidence, his words suddenly carried a terrifying amount of weight.
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