Space

BREATH THINLY
In a dimly lit office, Kaydn sat hunched over a table full of notes, her face illuminated by multiple
computer screens. A crease formed over her forehead as she tried to make sense of the markings that
she had transcribed from the audio they had received. She loudly exhaled as she pulled her dark hair
into a bun, under the assumption that that would help clear her head.
In her ten years as a linguist, they looked like nothing she had ever seen. With the hope that she would
pick up something new, she placed a pair of earbuds into her ears and pressed PLAY.
"Managed to get anything?"
Her colleague, Humaira, stood over her, two mugs of steaming hot coffee in hand. Ever grateful for
the sight and smell of caffeine, Kaydn grabbed one and immediately took a gulp. Her rash actions may
have resulted in a seared tongue, but she couldn't care less. She needed to wake her brain up more than
ever.
"It's all gibberish," Kaydn carefully placed her mug down, "I can't make out a single word."
She gathered her notes and handed them over to Humaira, "We're no closer than we were a year
ago."
Humaira let out a long, weary sigh as she plopped down on the chair next to her, "We can't show
these to Professor Smith... And we need the Phobetor for this mission."
"I know," she pulled the earbuds out and handed them over to Humaira, "Knock yourself out, I'm
going to check my emails."
Reluctantly, Humaira took them, "I'm an astrophysicist, not a linguist."
"You know what they say," Kaydn turned her attention towards the computer closest to her, "Fresh
eyes and whatnot."
Humaira rolled her eyes and slammed the earbuds down on the table.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEE
A sudden high pitched sound filled the room, immediately followed by a flash of symbols on the
computer. Transfixed, Kaydn stared at the screen, her eyes sparked with a sense of familiarity.
It wasn't that they looked exactly like the markings that she had written down earlier but--
"Holy crap... I can't believe that I missed it."
Quickly, she grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down what she could.
Within the span of a few seconds, they were plunged into utter darkness, their eyes and ears free from
distress.
"What the hell was that??" Humaira demanded through the pitch black, "Are you OK?"
"I don't know..." Kaydn pulled a transparent rectangular object out of her pocket, "But whatever it
was, I think that it helped us crack this puzzle."