Monitors surrounded Lin’s head, making it hard to see past her endless stacks of papers and unnecessary amount of staplers. She let out a sigh, scrunching her forehead and feeling the wrinkles with her fingertip. The beeps and squeals of the machinery in the office had worn on her ears to the point she barely heard them anymore. 

“Ms. Roberts,” a deeper voice called. Lin turned around, spinning her old chair slowly. “Yes?” 

“Your theory on developing our radio signals, we ran it through the SUSR bots,” replied a man with a stout figure and a poorly-done combover. His suit was a loud yellow and his face reminded one of a happy blobfish. 

“Oh. I gave that to the team months ago,” Lin responded, not trying to sound annoyed. “I don’t recall that. Anyhow, they want to see you and ask how to put it into programming. Come along.” 

Lin stood up, pushing her chair into the desk and making sure it was tidy enough to resume work when she returned. She followed the man, who she eventually recognized to be Mr. Aichz from the robotics department. They left her office. 

The building was built like a maze, each hallway having a seemingly infinite amount of rooms filled to the brim with tired employees. Getting lost wasn’t just easy, it was a guarantee – no matter how long you worked there. Lately, given global warming and the altered air, space travel has become less a curiosity and more a necessity. Humans resided on the moon, Mars, and several dwarf planets – yet Earth still remained overpopulated and miserable. 

That’s why I’m here, Lin thought to herself as she followed Mr. Aichz’s every step. They may not acknowledge me much, but I am making a difference. These new radios I designed could

change space travel forever… Lin faintly smiled to herself, her walk now less listless. The two turned into a wider, brighter hallway. 

They reached the end of the pathway. Mr. Aichz came to a stop by two large metal doors. Above it, text in silver letters read ‘Space Department.’ They were so small that if Lin hadn’t been squinting, she wouldn’t have noticed them. 

“Nice to be here again,” Mr. Aichz said, not quite talking to Lin. 

She had never seen such a fancy area before. Not one with a whole designated hallway like this. She observed the way she had come, noticing how much more expensive it felt, with the smell of bleach and a lemon fragrance. However, before she could take any more in, Mr. Aichz opened the doors. 

The room was large. Larger than anything Lin had ever seen. Around thirty-five people could be seen, scattered around with large desks and all wearing white suits. It’s so empty here. Are a lot of employees missing? Lin thought to herself. Dark blue LEDS were the only source of light in the room, and created a very professional atmosphere. 

“Here, Ms. Roberts, these are the men who wanted to meet you!” called Mr. Aichz. Lin stopped looking around and noticed him, along with two serious-looking individuals with identical appearances on either side of him. She rushed over. 

“Hello. Nice to meet you both! I am more than grateful you asked me to be here, truly.” Lin smiled at the two of them, but they didn’t return it. The one on the left nodded, and the other simply stared ahead. The one who nodded began to speak. 

“Roberts, is it? My apologies, we have many of those so I may get confused. You will address me as Mr. Jenns. Me and my partner called you here to discuss what you developed. It’s

incredible, really – your theory creates the most powerful interstellar radio ever conceived by man. I made a special request to not use it until you were here, so you could perhaps help us and observe with us.” Mr. Jenns chuckled to himself as if he were proud. His identical nodded. “Why, thank you -” Lin was interrupted by Mr. Aichz. 

“Well, she is quite smart! Unrelated, but – may I stay here whilst you do that? It’s quite crowded in the Robotics Department.” 

Mr. Jenns and his twin looked at each other before nodding in unison. Lin began tapping her foot in a mild frustration, though she wasn’t sure what she expected. Nobody, especially not her, could be the center of attention. 

“Well, on with it, then.” Mr. Jenns sat at one of the desks, and beckoned Mr. Aichz to bring one of the chairs next to him for his brother to sit. Once everyone had gathered, Mr. Jenns activated a large computer. A bright light – made brighter by the dark LEDS – stunned Lin and Mr. Aichz. They both took a step back, Lin’s eyes sputtering white afterimages. A headache began to grow. Dammit, she thought. 

She heard shuffling toward the computer as she adjusted to the light again. There was a significantly more amount of people standing around the computer, mumblings of confusion and such. Lin tilted her head to the side, and began to move through the crowd. She eventually made it to the screen, only to see a fascinated Mr. Jenns. 

“This is outstanding… everything humanity hasn’t seen before is here… all in front of my eyes…” Mr. Aichz said, his eyes reflecting the screen and his belly squashed against the desk in an attempt to see the computer. “Tell me, Mr. Roberts, what’s that?” Mr. Aichz pointed a finger

at a large black spot, larger than the Milky Way galaxy and everything surrounding it. Mr. Jenns spoke up, having to raise his voice through the murmuring. 

“It looks like the same black spot we had on our weaker radios. Just larger. Didn’t we assume that it was a planet blocking them? Or some sort of debris?” Mr. Jenns asked his twin. The other Mr. Jenns nodded his head slowly, his emotionless face turned skeptical. 

“No,” Lin said. Everyone turned their heads to her, curious as to what the inventor had to say. “My radios automatically clean debris off of them – off of their receptors. That’s the one I assume you sent up.” 

“And?” Mr. Aichz asked. 

“That isn’t a planet or something blocking our signals. It’s an individual body.” The quiet brother cleared his throat, preparing to speak for the first time. “That’s the largest thing recorded in history, then. It’s incomprehensible. A celestial-sized… thing.” “Well, Mr. Aichz and Ms. Roberts, it’s time you take your leave,” said Mr. Jenns. The crowd began to disperse, though several clusters of people still discussed at their desks. Lin looked at the computer, confused. 

“Of course, sir, but one more thing. May I take measurements? I just want to calculate the body’s exact size,” said Lin, eyeing the screen. 

“Ah. Go on, then, but do make it quick – we’re working on a very important exploration theory. Travelling to a new planet, you know. Riveting stuff,” Mr. Jenns chuckled to himself, sighing. Lin screenshotted the image, emailed it to her home and work computer, then nodded gratefully. Mr. Aichz beckoned her out of the room, holding one of the large doors open. I

wonder what they’ll name that thing, she thought as she exited the room. Her adventure of the day – or the month – or the year… was over. 

Work ended. A loud bell sounded in Lin’s office, though she didn’t realize it had been time to go until she saw the lines forming outside. She had been deep in thought since they discovered that mass. Lin waited the usual forty minutes for everyone to clear out before stepping outside of her office, taking a deep breath in and sighing. It was Friday, and she was ready to finally relax on the weekend. 

Lin left the building. She coughed, the smell of gases and artificial oxygen overpowering her nose. She looked up in an attempt to see the night sky, but clusters of hover cars blocked her view. She sighed, before heading to get into her own car from the charging station, which was located right beside the left side of the building. The hover car was a dull yellow – the most popular color as of recent, though she purchased it when it was the least. She entered, powering on the auto-drive, and relaxed as she felt herself lifting into the air. 

Lin leaned her head against the window, observing below her. As her vehicle sped through the skies, she noticed crowds of people in alleyways struggling to get into the newly established restaurants. She sighed, looking away tiredly. The hover car eventually arrived at her apartment, landing by the charging station. She hopped out, plugging her nose and headed down the fire stairs towards her room. It was the 56th one down, on the 8th floor – the highest floor. 

She took her time walking down the hallway to her apartment. At this time, most folks were asleep. It was a breath of fresh air – artificial fruit smelling air, but nonetheless. She appreciated time alone.

When she finally arrived, she grabbed her keys from her canvas purse and entered. It was a bland apartment. Everything was colored a default color – just greys and lifeless yellows. Lin had never had the time to decorate and was too exhausted on weekends to do anything but laze around – if she wasn’t working on some new robot or program someone asked her too. Lin then went to her bedroom, flopping onto the sheets with a grunt. 

“… Huh. I just gave myself a purpose.” Lin said quietly under her breath, rolling onto her back. “I’m so lucky.” Her stomach growled, and she slowly got up, scrunching her forehead with her fingers again. She grabbed the cheap nutrition pills from the desk above the bed’s headrest and swallowed them, before lying down again. Real food was for people who had time. 

…Maybe this weekend won’t be as relieving as I thought. Lin stared up at the ceiling, the darkness of night falling into her room. When she closed her eyes, she couldn’t picture anything. It’d all been seen, lived, done before. There’s nothing left to get excited about. Or curious about. She felt herself wobbling to sleep, the sounds of neighbors and hover cars surrounding her 

strangely comforting …My purpose isn’t worth living for, but… Lin yawned. …Now that I have one, I have to fulfill it. 

Monday morning came quicker than the blink of a lightbulb. Before Lin knew it, she was back in her office, typing away at her computer, programming another website advertisement just for no one to look at it or give it a second thought. The air smelled different – perhaps they used a different fragrance. Lin assumed that would be the most fascinating thing of the day, until she felt a tap on her shoulder. 

“Ms. Roberts, they want you back, for your ‘measurements’ is what I heard.”

Lin recognized the voice to be Mr. Aichz. She got up and pushed her chair in. It had to be perfect when she returned, after all. She grabbed the notes she had written on the mass’ size, then followed Mr. Aichz again. 

The two arrived at the ‘Space Department’ once more, to which she spotted only the quiet Mr. Jenns. She approached him, papers in her right hand, and tapped his shoulder using her left. He quickly spun around, startling Lin, although she recovered even faster. 

“Mr. Jenns – your brother – called me here to see that new discovery again. Is he sick, by chance?” Lin asked, trying to spark life into this otherwise silent ‘conversation.’ He nodded sadly. He relies on his brother a lot, then. It’s almost like he’s mourning a death. How pitiful. Lin sighed quietly. “May I see the radios, sir?” 

To this, he nodded, spinning back around and typing, scrolling, and clicking away at the computer. Luckily the device was already on. The last thing Lin wanted to be was temporarily blinded again. While the quiet Mr. Jenns searched for the radios, Lin looked at and shuffled her papers around. Hours of work – and although she wasn’t sure what it would be used for, she knew, hoped, that it would be of some importance. Some anxiety filled her stomach as she thought about the advancements she alone had made. Of course, in consequence, advancing mankind. She calmed herself, taking a deep breath in and out. In and out. In and out. “Ms. Roberts?” the quiet brother spoke, a concerned tone in his voice. 

“O-oh. I’m sorry. I’m not sure what I was doing.” 

“The measurements, please.”

“Right.” Lin sorted her papers again and approached the screen. Her chest felt like it was booming and restricting her to move, yet simultaneously felt so jittery she could run a lap around the moon. She looked over her papers one last time. 

Wait. 

She looked up at the computer and back at her papers. 

“Does there seem to be a problem?” Mr. Jenns asked, although monotony hid in his voice. Lin slowly looked between the two, her heart beating faster with every glance. That can’t be right. My measurements are always perfect, that’s the one thing I’m good at – that gives me meaning. Is it wrong? Am I wrong? Why does the mass appear… “Ms. Roberts, this is ridiculous. Please stop standing there and hand me the research. This is vital to our knowledge of the body -” 

Closer. 

“- and my job, my partner’s job, may rely on those documents – 

Ever so slightly. 

“ – So do give it to me.” 

Lin turned to face Mr. Jenns with a sullen expression. 

“The body has moved. Around the speed of three thousand light years, that thing has moved towards the Milky Way,” said Lin. Mr. Jenns stared up at her, speechless. “And several planets, stars… look, sir. Look at where they used to be.” 

Mr. Jenns nervously, slowly turned to the screen. He did what he was good at; he observed. His face twisted in horror. 

“Oh dear Lord. They’re gone.”

“They’re gone,” echoed Lin. The world seemed to speed up again as the two just stared at the screen. 

“If that thing travelled three thousand light years in the span of two days… Ms. Roberts, where is our sun located in the Milky Way? How close is this to us?” Mr. Jenns asked, as if attempting to calm himself – similar to one calming themself down after realizing the sun will explode long after death. Long after they themselves had to deal with it. 

“We’re located twenty-six thousand light years ahead of it, sir.” 

“Twenty-six? And it’s travelling about – about half of three thousand towards us per day?” Mr. Jenns gripped his face, sweating. Lin nodded, slowly but surely. Something was off with her. She seemed less terrified than she should have been. Her face had begun cracking from its usual seriousness. She felt the tension in her body start to release. It was as if everything had suddenly lifted off of her shoulders. We have seventeen days. She double checked the math in her head. Everything conceivable – every living thing – everything ever known will be gone in seventeen days. 

“Roberts! Roberts! What will we do?!” Mr. Jenns, once quiet, had broken into a frenzy. Everyone else in the Space Department turned to face the two, confusion riddled on their faces. He had transformed into a completely different person, hyperventilating and whining to himself like a toddler. Lin, taken aback, began to walk out of the room with speed. The computer still glared behind her. Anyone could see where the Destruction was. But I have the measurements. Me alone! Unless they get someone else who can calculate it, only me and Mr. Jenns knows about –

She felt a man bump into her at the doorway. Shit. She turned. Mr. Aichz stood there, a petrified look on his face. He looked at her, and then the papers. 

“Uh – Ms. Roberts, I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation. Your papers are wrong, right? Because something like that couldn’t exist. Your radios are inaccurate.” Mr. Aichz’s face relaxed as he lied to himself. Lin’s eyebrow twitched, but she didn’t dare say anything. Or, that’s what I would have done yesterday. 

“They are accurate, Mr. Aichz, and I have the wrinkles on my face to prove it. Tell anyone you’d like. I won’t be here for the next few days. You can run your mouth off about that, too.” Lin shoved her papers in her purse, and before Mr. Aichz could continue any further, she stepped on his foot and laughed. Liberation! 

She rushed out of the building, easily outrunning a now furious Mr. Aichz. His screams of anger filled the hallways, and as Lin ran, hundreds of heads turned from each office, each cubicle, and each computer; looking directly at her. Lin had been laughing to herself. I don’t need a purpose! I never needed one! She eventually found herself outside by the front doors, her arms outstretched and her face to the sky. I don’t want a meaning I can’t fulfill! She chuckled one more time. Lin could see the moon in the daylight. She could see the research centers and small cities from where she stood. But before she knew it, everything was blocked by hover cars. Lin scrunched her forehead, but this time, with a smile on her face. 

“I can… do what I want. Without having to have a reason. I never – nobody ever – had to have a reason,” she said in a sing-songy voice. She appeared utterly crazy. It was as if she was acting on every thought she had ever had, through every year she had ever lived.

Lin approached her hover car, kicked it with the end of her heel, then entered. She pressed every button she had never thought to, scratched at her seat, then turned on auto-drive. From now on, everything I do – it will be because I want to. From the moment I wake up to the moment I pass out; because I wasted life thinking I had to be miserable. But now I… I don’t have to. The car lifted into the air, and Lin tensed in utter excitement. 

Lin sporadically awoke from her bed, of which she had thrown the mattress to the ground. She had always wanted to move it, after all. Over the next couple days, she ripped her curtains from the windows, bought and stole all of the real food she could get her hands on, and binged a show she had always wanted to start. On the third day, as she lay sprawled vertically on her couch, the seventeenth episode of her show was interrupted by a broadcast. 

Bright white light lit up her previously dark room, exposing the empty cups, shattered plates, and messy blankets located on every square inch of her apartment floor. A man in a bright yellow suit appeared on the television screen. With a poorly done combover. Lin immediately leaped up from the couch – as quick as she could with her newly gained weight. 

“The hell are you doing on my screen?” Lin grunted angrily, facing the TV. A news reporter was speedily talking about something she didn’t want to adjust to understand. She turned around to grab the remote and turn the TV off. However, the next few words that she heard made her leave it on. 

“Theodore E. Aichz, a lower-class researcher in the Robotics Department from Universal Center 12UUM created the technology to identify the mass three days ago. To his shock, the

head of the Space Department and his twin immediately quit upon his discovery…” Lin slammed down the power button on the remote. Anger filled her body. An absolutely simmering anger. “I’m the person who made the radio.” Lin looked at her hands. “Me! I’m the one… Ugh!” She angrily grabbed a ripped-up pillow from her couch and threw it at the television. It did effectively nothing. “But I shouldn’t get mad. Why would I be mad if nothing matters? Why would I be bothered -” Lin was soon cut off by a scream from the apartment next to hers. An absolutely blood curdling scream. Lin stood there dumbly. She was much more confused than concerned. 

What are they doing? She wondered. 

There was another scream. But this time, from under her. This time, Lin jumped. And as if the universe were collapsing, a loud boom sounded atop of her. Lin screamed, running to her bed and throwing a blanket over herself. The sounds of crashes and shrieks began growing louder and louder. Why am I cowering? Oh dear God, what’s happening? Wha… wait… I said I’d do what I wanted these last few weeks… she turned her head to the window from her bed, letting her blanket go. So… so I will. I will! She got up and approached the window wearily, tip-toeing as if anyone could hear her over the bangs outside. She threw open the dull yellow curtains. 

Utter chaos was unfolding. Hover cars, previously in a neat yet crowded line, dropped from the sky like wingless flies. People had started flooding the streets, creating a near endless sea of screams for help – and screams just for the sake of it. Lin didn’t see just people, though. She saw thousands of herself. Everyone down there had a revelation, too… Lin stared down for several more seconds. They learned about our impending destruction. I’d expected there to be

less of a panic, since we still have two weeks. More of a feeling of freedom. That’s how they should feel… She pondered, disregarding the now high potential of death that surrounded her and trapped humanity. After a while of simply thinking and pacing, Lin impulsively went to the living room to turn on the television again. It was still the warning broadcast, but something had changed. Instead of a news person yapping away, it was a number in a big red circle. Three. 

Oh. The puzzle pieces began to form. They don’t have my measurements. That’s the number of days they told the public, because they don’t have my papers… Lin looked down, realizing she had ripped the measurements to shreds. She looked at the wall. Pieces of the papers were glued, taped, and stapled messily everywhere. She raised her foot and looked down, noticing half a sheet of paper under her. I’m the only one who knows when we’re really going to die. It doesn’t mean much, though. Unless… I want to do something about that information. 

A smirk grew on her face as she thought of the possibilities. Lin laughed one last time, then ran out of her apartment. She faced the long hallway, smiling. I could make people follow me. Stand out! Be a leader! Even if they’re lies, people believe what they want to! The artificial fruit smell of the hallway filled her nose as she ran down. She was excited to make herself feel carefree. Full of life before she inevitably lost it. 

She ran up the fire stairs to get to her hover car. Everyone else in the apartment’s cars were gone. If one were to look up, you couldn’t see the morning sky, but rather yellow blobs. It was worse than usual. There were layers of them. Lin realized she couldn’t go up, so she ran to the edge of the building, looking down. Bodies were squished up against her apartment, and people’s feet had turned red as they trampled children and folks who couldn’t escape the mob

under them. Mounds of people trying to climb on one another were scattered amongst everyone. The cries grew louder. Deafening. 

Lin stepped back, her smile fading into a look of pure terror. She then felt rumbling beneath her feet. People rushing to the fire stairs. Lin thought fast, grabbing a metal bar that had been lying by the hover car lot and jamming the door. As soon as she did, she was knocked back by a bang. People trying to get out. 

Lin, now on the concrete floor, crawled back. Her legs ached and her ankle had twisted. Every sense started feeling much more real. It was as if she could hear everything. Feel everything. Lin remembered her time back at the Universal Center. It was boring. She had no purpose until she found one, and it was immediately stripped away from her. Lin grabbed her leg as she kept crawling as fast as she could, scooching herself with nothing but her right arm. Unforgivingly, her mind ran miles, and she began to talk to herself in a frenzy. 

“… I was only happy these last three days because…” The door started to bend. Lin breathed heavily, trying to back away from it even more; however, her leg wouldn’t move after she had fallen. “… I told myself I didn’t need to have something to live for. Responsibility for myself had… disappeared.” 

Lin crawled towards the edge of the building, wanting to do one last thing before the mob arrived. Before certain doom arrived. But this time, doom rivalled against her sense of self. Against her measurements and work. Against everything she had built herself around; once her purpose and now her beliefs. If she couldn’t predict this, was what comforted her at the thought of death a lie? Her intelligence led her to this situation. I’m… terrible.

If Lin died here, she had nothing to thank herself for. She didn’t believe she could achieve happiness anymore. She wouldn’t have died with a smile or on her own terms. She wouldn’t have died in the center of attention, either. 

A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead. 

No… No! I want to live! I don’t wanna die even if I don’t have a reason to live! I don’t care if people hate me, or everything becomes hell. I want to live so I can make myself better. Better than whatever I am now… That’s what brings me joy. Not my ‘purpose,’ no… An idea – a goal – I made myself. I haven’t a meaning and yet I’m not worthless. 

Because I create my own worth through reason. 

… But… I realized that too late, huh? 

Lin rested against the small, concrete wall preventing one from falling off the building. She looked at the sky. Most of the hover cars had dispersed or fallen in the panic, so Lin had a clear view. 

It was the most beautiful sky she had ever seen. A pure blue. It still smelled of smoke, but Lin didn’t mind as much anymore. 

“I wasted my chance.” Lin looked at her hands. Her sprained, dark-purplish ankle. “My desperation to do something with my life caused this. My procrastination.” Tears formed in her eyes. She couldn’t lie to herself anymore. “I wanted to be happy. But I just… never knew how.” The fire stairs door had been pushed so it was nearly vertical. Hinges were popping off one by one. Hands reached out from the newly made holes in the door. Lin looked at death, then back at

the view. “And now that I have a theory on achieving happiness, I’ll never be able to fulfill it. I ran out. Of. Time.” Lin chuckled pitifully to herself. The constant noise finally had gone silent. I wonder if people are still travelling the world. To safety, or what they think safety is. That celestial mass doesn’t care about us. It won’t stop. No matter how much I want it to. I wanted to smile more. 

I wanted to be a good person. 

I wanted – 

The door broke. Lin took one last look at the pristine sky. The world. The only thing she had ever known. And instead of overthinking, rubbing her face, or complaining… She simply appreciated its beauty.