I’ve come across many Avatars in my day as a reporter here in Second Life, but I have to say, this particular being set the bar high for special guests like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and even that flirtatious Cupid, whom I've had the opportunity to interview on a few occasions. It happened very unexpectedly and caught me a bit off guard as I was making my rounds at the SL Enquirer Media Center. I noticed the air was thick with the scent of ozone and something ancient, a metallic tang that clung to the back of my throat. I stood across from a being that defied every law of virtual biology I knew. They called him Enox. He didn't breathe, yet the center vibrated with a low-frequency hum that seemed to emanate from his translucent grey skin. As I secretly clicked my recorder on, the flickering lights near the stage area dimmed and turned off, leaving us in an awkward silence stare. This was the moment humanity had been both craving and dreading: the first recorded words from beyond our stars. I slowly walked closer and introduced myself.
Interview with Enox
Lanai: Hi…. Welcome to SLE. How can I help you?
Enox: Lanai, just the Avatar I was looking for. I was sent here on a mission from the Zeta Reticuli star system.
Lanai: Where’s that? You came here specifically to speak to me? OMG, what did I do? Are you here to abduct me??
Enox: This star system is located in the southern constellation of Reticulum, and no, I’m not here to abduct you again. Last time we tried that, you woke up in the middle of the experiments and caused a whole scene, destroying our equipment and using language that offended us. We had to knock you back out and put you back in your bed. You are flagged as a feisty, foul-mouthed abductee not suitable for our breeding program. We cannot have another one of you cloned for the safety of mankind, but you are still very much a person of interest to us.
Lanai: o.O… I should be offended! You snatched me out of my bed, and I can’t even remember what happened! I’ll have you know I make beautiful children. Pfft.
Enox: You humans are still strange and feral. We are trying to figure out if you humans are ready before we fully disclose the truth about the Universe and all the life forms in it. We tried that thousands of years ago when we came here to mine for gold and constructed the Pyramids. At that time, humans were at least willing to work with us until they began carving graffiti all over the place, depicting images of us and our spacecraft. We are a shy culture and wish to stay out of the way and let you all thrive on your own. Sadly, you all are causing so much commotion on this planet that it might be time to intervene. In particular the use of social media. The type of TikTok videos you species make is utterly ridiculous. Whoever invented twerking should be ashamed of themselves. Anyway, You are the CEO of The SL Enquirer. Who better than you to deliver our message to the masses?
Lanai: “blinks” OK. Well, you caught me off guard. If I had known you were coming, I would have prepared a proper interview. I have so many questions, but I don’t even know where to start. Do you have a name?
Enox: My name is Enox.
Lanai: That’s a start. Nice to meet you… again apparently. Why did you pick today to come?
Enox: Well, the World Cup is happening, and apparently, an abductee went and told someone we were preparing to do a mass abduction in Miami.
Lanai: Yeah, I heard about that on TikTok, but you can’t believe everything you read on the internet. So, is it true?
Enox: If I disclosed that information, it would ruin the element of surprise. You will just have to wait and see. Right now, I can only tell you that we are real and have been watching from afar. We are still trying to understand why the Kardashians are famous, what Elon is planning to do with his Trillions, and what animal Spam is actually made of. There are so many things we are still trying to figure out.
Lanai: There are things I’m trying to figure out, too. Like, what's up with random cow mutilations, crop circles, and those Nasca lines? Can you at least tell me if Bigfoot is real or why it is illegal to speak to dolphins?
Enox: Sighs…The crop circles and Nasca Lines are just art and road maps for us. They only got discovered when airplanes were invented and became visible from the sky. I hate to break it to you about Bigfoot. Yes, they are real, but smart enough to stay away from populated areas. They don’t want to catch all the diseases and drama your species is riddled with. Also, don’t try speaking to dolphins; they know way too much, and they like to kidnap people to help build their underwater cities in the Gulf of Mexico.
Lanai: I get it. That’s some weird shit. So, what exactly do you want me to share with the masses since you seem to be very vague with your information?
Enox: Honestly, I just wanted to meet you. Are you seeing someone?
Lanai: What!?! Are you kidding me?
Enox: Of course, I’m kidding. I will disclose that this planet is actually a simulator. Second Life is the closest replica of what all of you are experiencing in the “real world”. AI is actually disclosure, and the more tech intervenes, the more desensitized you will become to the world around you. Once everyone is acclimated to the new normal, we will be back to reclaim this planet and reset it again. Are you ready?
Lanai: That kinda sounds freakishly believable…Should I pack a bag and come with you now?
Enox let out a sound like static, a dry laugh that vibrated in my chest. "Keep your bags packed, Lanai. But don’t worry about coming with me—not yet. For now, just keep reporting on the madness. We’ll be watching to see if you can tell the difference between the code and the truth."
With that, the metallic scent of ozone spiked, the lights flickered violently, and in a blink, he was gone. I was left standing alone in the silent Media Center, staring at the empty spot where an alien had just casually explained the end of the world, wondering if I should write this up or if my system was just glitching again.
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