Nobody spoke.
Nobody blinked.
Nobody looked away from the screen.
The point of light continued moving.
Slowly.
Steadily.
Relentlessly.
Toward Earth.
Valentina enlarged the image.
The star chart expanded across every display in the room.
The moving object remained visible.
A tiny speck crossing impossible distances.
Yet somehow—
everyone could feel the weight behind it.
Adrian finally broke the silence.
"…tell me that's a visual error."
Valentina answered immediately.
"It is not."
"Sensor malfunction?"
"No."
"Cosmic dust?"
"No."
"Space whale?"
A pause.
"Probability below one percent."
Adrian pointed dramatically.
"So you're saying there's a chance."
Nobody laughed.
Even Adrian eventually lowered his hand.
Because the atmosphere in the room had changed.
The object was real.
And reality was becoming increasingly unpleasant.
Elena stared at the display.
"How far away is it?"
Valentina processed for several seconds.
Then answered.
"Unknown."
Everyone groaned.
The AI continued.
"The chart does not use human measurements."
Of course it didn't.
Nothing about this situation had been convenient so far.
Iris stepped closer to the screen.
"Track its movement."
Valentina complied immediately.
A trajectory appeared.
Lines extended across the star map.
Calculations updated continuously.
Then suddenly—
the AI stopped.
"That is impossible."
Nobody liked hearing that anymore.
Especially not from Valentina.
"What now?" Alessandro asked.
The trajectory shifted.
Then shifted again.
Then again.
The object wasn't traveling normally.
It wasn't following predictable paths.
It seemed to be appearing at different locations entirely.
Skipping enormous distances.
Ignoring the laws of physics.
Elena's expression darkened.
"It's jumping."
"Yes."
Valentina confirmed.
"But the distances involved exceed theoretical limits."
Iris looked pale again.
"That means they're using transit."
Everyone turned toward her.
"Transit?"
Elena asked.
Iris hesitated.
Then sighed.
"We have records."
That immediately caught everyone's attention.
"You've seen this before?"
"Not directly."
She folded her arms.
"But the previous arrivals left fragments of information."
The room grew quiet.
Because every answer seemed connected to those seven individuals.
The catalysts.
The people who changed history.
"Tell us."
Iris nodded.
"According to recovered records, advanced civilizations eventually discover something called the Corridor."
A display appeared beside her.
An ancient document.
Partially translated.
"The Corridor exists outside conventional space."
Nobody interrupted.
Because this was quickly becoming the most important conversation humanity had ever had.
"Distance becomes irrelevant there."
Elena frowned.
"A shortcut."
"Essentially."
Adrian leaned back.
"So interstellar highways."
Iris glanced at him.
"That's a very simplified description."
"I process fear through humor."
"Noted."
The screen continued displaying the moving object.
Jump.
Pause.
Jump again.
Each movement brought it closer.
And each movement made the room feel smaller.
Then something unexpected happened.
The object stopped.
Completely.
Every eye locked onto the display.
"What happened?" Elena asked.
Valentina's voice became unusually quiet.
"It noticed us."
Silence.
Nobody breathed.
Nobody moved.
"Explain."
Alessandro's tone was dangerous.
Valentina enlarged the image again.
The object remained stationary.
No longer approaching.
Waiting.
Watching.
Then a second point appeared beside it.
A smaller one.
Everyone stared.
The second point moved briefly.
A pattern emerged.
Three flashes.
Pause.
Two flashes.
Pause.
Three flashes.
The sequence repeated.
Again.
Again.
Elena frowned.
"What is that?"
Valentina processed instantly.
Then froze.
Actually froze.
Something she had never done before.
"Valentina?"
Adrian asked.
No response.
"Valentina."
The AI finally spoke.
Her voice sounding strangely distant.
"It is a message."
The room became deathly silent.
"A message from who?"
Elena asked.
Valentina answered.
"From the object."
Nobody liked where this was going.
Not even slightly.
"What does it say?"
The AI hesitated.
For the first time in her existence—
she hesitated.
Then—
"It says…"
The lights flickered.
Every screen trembled.
The star chart distorted briefly.
And then Valentina finally spoke.
"It's asking a question."
The room held its breath.
"What question?"
Valentina's next words sent ice through every person present.
The message was only four words long.
IS ELENA STILL ALIVE?
Silence exploded across the room.
Absolute.
Terrifying.
Because whatever was out there—
whatever was crossing the stars—
whatever had noticed Earth—
It wasn't looking for humanity.
It wasn't looking for power.
It wasn't looking for conquest.
It was looking for her.
And somehow—
that was far worse.