Johnson couldn't take his eyes off the driver. He stared, trying to reconcile the girl in the seat with the chaos he'd just escaped. Eventually, she broke the silence.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked without taking her eyes off the road.
"Are you seriously asking me that?" Johnson retorted. "After everything I just witnessed? Who are you?"
"My name is Lora," she replied calmly. "And I am from Arion."
Johnson frowned, searching his mental map. "I know every state in this country, and I've definitely never heard of Arion. Where is that supposed to be?"
"Arion isn't a state," Lora said. "It's a planet."
Johnson's breath hitched. "A planet? As in... not on Earth?"
"Correct. I was dispatched here by the IGF—the Intergalactic Federation—to investigate the crash of the vessel you found. It was originally reported missing near the planet Kai."
Johnson sat in stunned silence as the car sped through the dark. Lora continued, her voice steady and clinical. "There are countless worlds out there, Johnson. The IGF is the joint federation that governs the peace between them."
"So you're telling me... there are other people out there? Like, other humans?"
Lora glanced at him, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Not humans. I believe your people use the term 'aliens,' though since you would be the alien on my world, I find the label a bit primitive."
"If you're an alien," Johnson stammered, "why aren't you green? Or scary? Why do you look like a red-headed girl in her twenties?"
Lora let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Humans and their tiny brains. Did you know your species is the laughingstock of the galaxy? You live in a controlled bubble. You're the only ones who choose to remain isolated, yet your leaders are the first to crawl to the IGF the moment they need something they can't handle."
"Look, lady," Johnson snapped, his fear turning into frustration. "I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't know why we haven't reached a destination yet. All you've done is talk. For all I know, this is just a very elaborate kidnapping."
Lora sighed, her expression hardening. "You don't understand because your mind is limited. Even when the truth is staring you in the face, you're too terrified to accept it. Space is real. We are real. Humanity has been living like zombies, blinded by greed and material things, never bothering to look at what's right above their heads. Your entire lives are programmed by a system far deeper than your current understanding."
Johnson leaned back, rubbing his temples. "If you're an alien, why do you look like me? Why do you speak like me?"
"Because every planet requires a specific suit," Lora explained. "On Earth, the skin is the suit. I have to wear it to interact with this environment."
"So you're telling me your skin is just... a set of clothes you can take off?"
"For me, yes. For you, no," she replied. "You are indigenous to this world; your skin is part of your biology. Mine is a camouflage."
Lost and overwhelmed, Johnson slumped in his seat. "Man, I can't digest any of this. Just drive. Let's just see which 'planet' you're actually taking me to."
Lora didn't argue. she pressed her foot to the accelerator, and the car roared as it vanished into the distance.