Don't Push the (Red) Button

One day Asher turned on his PC and when he looked at the desktop he realized that he hadn't finished translating everything. Holding in a sigh, he pressed the button and grabbed breakfast while the fans started spinning.

When he got back upstairs he was surprised to see everything was finished. That was a short wait, he thought, dropping into his chair although he was careful not to spill any coffee on himself. He turned the chair towards the screen and began to scroll, sipping on his drink.

Everything was boring. "Activate back starboard" and other thrilling messages. But one caught his attention. It read, "help signal". 

A surge of excitement ran through his brain. He could contact the aliens! He double clicked the link, and it showed the appearance of the button. It was in the direct center of the entire craft.

I won't be able to miss that, he thought. 

Later the whole group had gathered back. They were standing in the main area of the ship, each of them on their own chair, as they had finally grown comfortable to the idea of sitting where a dead alien once was. PJ had dug through her attic and taken padding from some chairs to put on the bottoms and backs of the seats. 

A couple of days had passed since Cain had first put on the alien devices, and Cain had gained weight. He had seemed distressed until Asher assured him that muscle weighs more than fat.

PJ spied the laptop leaned up against Asher's chair and grew excited. The internet to her was a mystical place where if you dug deep enough, you could find anything. Asher had his legs crossed, swivelling slightly as they waited for Miriam. 

"She isn't coming," Adah sighed, looking down at her phone. "She has to look after Matthew." 

"Well, that's inconvenient. We can relay this information to her later," Asher said. He leaned down and picked up the laptop. Adah and Cain shared skeptical glances.

"I finally finished translating everything. Rather boring," he told them, producing a flash drive from the pockets of his khaki shorts. "However… there is one thing I want to talk about."

"There's a button. It's right behind you, Adah," he said, and Adah turned around to look at it as they continued; "it says help signal. You can probably guess which button it is, encased some sort of glass with a little metal hammer by it like fire alarms in school. It's already been cracked open, already pressed."

Adah's blood ran cold. "So the aliens are after us?"

"I'd guess the aliens would be here by now if they really noticed it. Maybe they don't want to visit this planet because it's off limits for some reasons, maybe because we're not advanced enough," Asher said. 

"But what if they do go here? What then?" Adah asked. 

"I don't think they'd be mad at us if they ever did come down. It's the nature of all beings to try and figure out their surroundings through myths and tests," Asher reassured. 

"That's why I think we should contact them."

It was as if he had set off a bomb. Cain fell off his seat, Adah sprang up, and PJ lowered her phone with curious eyes gleaming. 

"Are you kidding me? We were talking about how much we hated the MIB or whoever they are the other day. Aliens are ten times more dangerous!" Adah exclaimed.

"I think they'd be equally as dangerous, if dangerous at all," PJ said.

"What do you think they'll do to us after they meet us? Give us a prize or probe up our asses?" Adah joked.

"I just think it's worth a shot," Asher said.

Cain sighed. "Asher, this isn't like a game of chess. Decisions are permanent and have consequences."

"Curiosity killed the cat!" Adah chimed in.

Asher narrowed his eyes and added, "But satisfaction brought it back."

"Damn, burn," PJ whispered under her breath.

Cain stepped in between the two twins, who had both rose from their seats and were standing only inches apart. 

"Chill out," Cain said as he escorted Adah back to her seat. She was most likely to lose her cool before Asher did. "Let's debate civilly."

"I personally think we should," PJ declared. 

"See! She agrees with me," the boy with glasses said, pointing both of his hands at her. 

"But will Miriam?" Adah asked. 

"I guess she's the tiebreaker then," Asher muttered. 

"Asher, contacting the aliens is a risky move. What we have here is enough. We shouldn't risk all of it," Cain apologetically said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. 

Asher promptly batted it off and hissed, "Hands off, Ben Ten."

For a second, Cain was hurt, and then he wanted to laugh at the insane insult, but he still felt hurt. 

"Sorry," Asher said. "I-I wasn't thinking." He pushed himself further back into his seat. I let that slip out. Now he'll never agree with someone who insults him! 

"No, no, it's okay. You obviously didn't mean it," Cain said. "We all make mistakes."

"Meeting adjourned," Adah announced, standing up from her seat. Asher felt like he was being shoved outside by her. She thinks I'm going to press the button, he thought. Well, not right now….

PJ was about to leave in her motorbike when Asher dashed over to her. 

"Miriam will never agree with us," Asher told her. 

"Hmm?" Asked PJ, far into a thought train. 

"She won't want to press the button. For once, I am the optimist," Asher grumbled. 

PJ was shocked. In these last two minutes, Asher had shown more emotion then he had in the rest of his life. Wow, he's very passionate about this, the blonde girl thought.

"Yea. You're usually all doom and gloom," PJ said, and then realized that she'd said the wrong thing. "Not that it's a bad thing, I mean. Sometimes, we need a realist to tell us that it's not happening." 

"Adah thinks she's doing whats best for me, but what about what is best for the advancement of technology?" Asher hissed. 

"So… its not just about you wanting to meet the aliens?" PJ asked.

"Of course its not!" Asher exclaimed, and then Cain and Adah turned to look at him.

He lowered his voice as he continued, "I want to meet them, of course, but wanting it for just me would be utterly selfish. I want everything to be improved on this planet. You see it too, don't you? Poverty, crime, disease. They will help with that."

"And if they don't?" PJ asked.

"Well, that's a risk I'm willing to take. This planet will be dead anyways in fifty years from climate change," Asher nonchalantly said with a shrug. "So what could possibly go wrong." 

He revved the engine of his motorbike, and PJ stepped back. "Think of it on the ride back," Asher told her before riding away.