On the 27th of October, 2023, the weather was finally clearing up after a week of foul winds and heavy rains, with everyone looking forward to being able to get outside. People were walking their dogs, going jogging and generally enjoying a bit of time outside. The work week was over and people were relaxing in the fading sunshine.

And then the world went silent.

Every sound, voices, animals, machines and even things being dropped as people jumped at the sudden absence were completely gone. But a few seconds later, before the panic could even begin, a microphone was tapped, a single voice was heard clearing its throat, and the first words humanity ever heard from beyond were heard.

“To the residents of planet 13847J-2, locally known as... Earth? Your universe, and obviously your planet, is about to be absorbed by our plane of reality. This is a natural event that has happened countless times before, and will happen countless times again, simply two drops of water touching and merging within the multiverse.

However, since our universe has undergone this process endlessly, while yours is almost newborn, yours is being whole swallowed up by ours, consuming it for resources in a way that your planet, neither your galaxy, will withstand. As such, we, the Empire of Kurtza, have been dispatched to assist the more advanced races of your universe, transferring and saving as many as we can.

Of the 892 species found worthy enough, you, a basic variant of humanity with your current technological level, barely qualify. Still, we have gathered what resources we have to complete our quest, and have found a suitable planet for your species to inhabit. Unfortunately, with the short amount of time we were given to organize the rescue of you and the other sapients of your universe, the available planet can only take in roughly three quarters of your population.

Rather than simply deem the remaining population an unfortunate sacrifice of the process, the powers that be have chosen to widely distribute them throughout our reality. While steps will be taken to ensure they arrive on planets that can support them, their odds of survival will be greatly diminished. The division will be selected randomly, and we apologise for the turmoil this will cause. The full conversion of your reality will commence in 62 hours, and much of the technology and material goods you possess will no longer function afterwards. We suggest you plan accordingly, and look forward to your inclusion in to the system.”

Then the silence ended.

And the panic began.

~

Marcus sped down the street, swerving the car to avoid a man kicking a bin on to the road. As the information settled from the anonymous voice, he, like billions of others, assumed it was an elaborate hoax. But in less than an hour, those beliefs shifted. People saw that it had been heard all across the world simultaneously, waking up the sleeping instantly. While that made most people concerned, the government announcement set it in stone.

Every nation’s leaders released a near identical report, which he’d listened to them give on the radio, their shaky voice struggling their own words. They said that people with telescopes had seen many that many stars had vanished, and astronomers and now reported that the other planets in the solar system had similarly disappeared.

And so, on what was now a moonless night with an ever diminishing number of stars above him, Marcus drove rapidly home to be with his family. He’d moved out years ago for university, and moved further again for work, but the house he’d grown up in would always be home. It had been a rough trip, people in a state of panic and confusion, with many turning to rioting. They had no real goal, simply looking for a way to relieve the fear that had set in, that things were coming to an end.

Pulling up to the house, he snorted when he found that even at the end of the world, the spare key was barely hidden under a ceramic frog by the front door. He’d almost put it in the lock when his mother threw open the door and wrapped him in her arms.

“Marcus! Thank god you made it! We’ve seen how things are getting on the news, we weren’t sure you were going to make it home in time.” She said with emotion, hugging him tightly.

He hugged her back. “It wasn’t the best trip, but if I'm gonna be anywhere when this thing shakes out, it’s going to be with all of you.”

She chuckled before releasing him. “That’s my boy, family first. Now go see your father, he’s in the den with your sister. I’ll put the kettle on.”

The ‘den’, as they called it was the basement that Marcus and his dad had worked on back when he still lived here, transforming it from damp storage to a living space with a sizable bar that was currently being put to use.

“Dad, you can’t spend the next two days drinking!” Samantha was complaining as he came down stairs.

“I think you mean that I shouldn’t spend the next two days drinking, but I certainly can, and I will. If the end of the world isn’t a reason to drink then I don't think there is one. Besides, I doubt a bit of liver damage is gonna mean much in a few days.” His dad replied as he selected a bottle of wine from the rack behind him.

“Well can I have drink as well then?” she asked hopefully.

“No, you’re not old enough.” He stated without hesitation.

“Well what’s that going to matter in a few days?” she declared triumphantly.

“That’s not...” he began hesitantly, looking for a way out.

“Ah, give the baby a drink, just a little in a sippy cup should be ok, right Smalls?” Marcus said.

“Marcus!” his dad said, thick with relief. “Glad you could get here in time. But you aren’t seriously saying I give your little sister alcohol are you? She’s only 15!”

“Oh yes, I'm sure there’ll be great repercussions for this, which will definitely be the first time she’d touched alcohol. Isn’t that right Smalls?” Marcus answered dryly, glancing to Samantha who looked away nonchalantly.

“Sam, what’s your brother talking about?” his mother asked, coming down the stair with a tray of tea and coffee. “You’ve always promised us you’ve stayed away from drinking at your friend’s parties.”

“I did, I swear I never drank at those parties.” She said earnestly, immediately changing her tone when being questioned by her mother. “ But.... there was possibly an evening a few months ago when you were both out at your friend’s wedding, and Marcus had come down for my birthday... that he may have let me have a drink. Or several.” She finished with a wince, knowing she’d thrown him under the bus.

Both his parents rounded on him. “Marcus Gillian, of all the irresponsible-”

Holding up his hands in defence, he cut them off. “It was right here in the den, with only the two of us, so she was perfectly safe. And I figured that it was important that she know what drinking and being drunk was like before she started going to parties where drinking might not be as avoidable. Besides it was a Saturday so it didn’t effect school, and other than her ‘cold’ the next day when you asked why she wasn’t feeling well, no harm done.” He then grinned and decided to pass the baton further around. “Besides, isn’t this a tradition? I remember when I first got drunk, and I was a bit younger than Smalls, right Dad?”

Their mother paused for a moment then rounded on their father who was keenly studying the wallpaper. “Thomas, what is he talking about?”

“Oh... you know Mary... father-son bonding...stuff...” he muttered, slightly red in the face before coughing and changing the subject. “So Marcus, what’s your take on all of this?”

“Well,” Marcus began, grabbing a beer from the fridge behind the bar and a light cider for Samantha. “It’s really happening obviously. The moon disappearing is a pretty big give away that it’s not a prank.”

“Or it a really, really good one.” She offered.

He nodded in acceptance. “Ok, it’s either real or a joke with more power and technology backing it than I'm aware humanity has. So either way, bad times for Earth.”

“So that’s it then? End of the world?” his dad asked, giving up and handing Samantha a bottle opener.

“Eh, no more Earth, but it sounds like humanity is gonna keep on kicking. The message was pretty clear that we weren’t being wiped out, just moved to a new world. Maybe it’ll just be a nice fresh start, try for a little less global warming this time.”

“So... you think it’s just Earth 2.0? We’re just going to get in a ship and zoom off to another planet?”

“Sounds like it might be a bit more excessive than a ship, but yeah I think that’s the plan.” He said with a nod.

They sat in silence for a bit in contemplation, drinking and snacking on a few biscuits that had been brought with the tea.

“So...” Samantha asked after a bit. “What do we do for last day before the end of the world?”

Thomas scratched his beard. “I’d say we head to the beach, but with the rioting going on... anyone for monopoly?”

Mary laughed. “We are not having our last day on earth ending in a fight. Pour me some gin, I’ll grab a deck of cards, Samantha see if you can’t find some poker chips in the cupboard. I’ll be damned if my losing streak lasts longer than the planet.”

~

They were sitting gingerly around the table for breakfast when it happened again. While their parents had caved a bit, Samantha wasn’t allowed more than two drinks the previous night and was therefore the only one not nursing a massive hangover. She’d been cooking pancakes when the world again lost sound, snapping everything into focus, causing her to silently drop the spatula in surprise.

“Residents of planet 13847J-2, Earth, thank you for patience during these trying times. While we see that there has been some... stressful situations since our last message, we are glad to see you have largely remained rational.

With the full absorption of your reality only two hours away, we have now taken for processing all available materials from your reality not directly required for your sustained existence. Even the star you orbit has been taken, with a temporary cover currently being projected in its place. As such, it is important that you understand a few key facts about your new lives.

First to note is this: you are not alone, and by extension, you are not special. There are countless races living within the System, with several thousand categorized as ‘Human’ alone. There will be many opportunities to better your people by interacting with these other cultures, but just as many dangers. While the Empire of Kurtza has been tasked with ensuring your safe entry in to the System, only you are in charge of your survival after that. After a six month period in which we will assist you coming to terms with your new reality and setting up your communities, you will be left to your own devices.

The second and by far more important is the nature of the System itself. Throughout all of reality there exists a common force, a currently undefinable energy, signal or force. But while we can’t detect or interact with it, it interacts with every atom of our universe and beyond. Quasi-intelligent, ever-evolving and always present, it is an unbiased force that grants power to those who seek it. Once the change begins, you will be taken in under its touch, and your lives will change, though how they change will be up to you. We will assist those of you who arrive on your new world to better understand and improve your abilities during your six month grace period.

And now for an unfortunate task, the system has processed and marked all humans on the planet. Your population will be brought to a clean state of health, with all injuries, illnesses and detriments of old age removed, ensuring you’re best possible start for your new lives. Children under the age of fifteen will be automatically selected for your new world, with the remaining population being divided randomly. Those of you marked in green will be sent to your new home world, while those marked blue will be relocated to somewhere else within the system that can hopefully support them. At any point before the final step you may choose to instead refuse migration, instead painlessly being disintegrated with the planet if you choose not enter the system. We give you the next two hours to say your goodbyes and make your decisions.”

Again sound snapped back into place, the sharp beeping of the smoke alarm filling the room. Samantha quickly took the burning pancakes off the stove, turning to see her family, each with a bright green orb floating above their heads. They looked back in distress at the vivid blue one above hers.

“M-Mom?” she stuttered, going pale as her knees gave way, leaving her sitting on the floor. “I- I don’t... what do I..?”

Their parents rushed over to her, hugging her tightly.

“It’ll be ok sweetie, we’ll... we’ll figure something out! There has to be something we can do, right Thomas? She’s still a child for goodness sake! I'm not having them send my baby off by herself!” Mary cried.

“What can we do?” Thomas said tonelessly has he clung to his daughter, as if to ensure they couldn’t take her from him. “We have no idea what’s even happening, what can we do?”

“We can’t do anything.” Marcus said as he stood up from the table. “But one group apparently can.”

~

Walking out the kitchen before they could respond, he headed out the back door to the garden. Standing in the middle of the lawn, he raised his arms and screamed up at the sky.

“HEY! EMPIRE OF KURTZA, OR WHATEVER YOU CALL YOURSELVES! LET MY SISTER STAY WITH MY PARENTS! I’LL GO INSTEAD! JUST LET HER STAY SAFE!”

As he breathed in to keep screaming a blue screen appeared in front of his vision.

-I can hear you just fine, no need to shout.-

“WHAT... sorry, what?” he said, looking at the box of text floating in front of his eyes.

-We’re monitoring, marking and medicating every person on the planet. Spotting someone yelling at us is easy by comparison.-

“You’re the one in charge?” he asked hopefully.

-Ha, I wish. No, like I said we’re busy with your whole race and many others. I'm just one of many, many clerks organizing things, and the one managing your section.-

“But you can save my sister? You’re the one making that decision?” Marcus pleaded.

-I didn’t make the decision; it’s basically a very fancy random number generator, keeps things fair. Only so many safe spots to go around after all.-

“But you can give her one?” he said with hope.

-Depends, we only have so many spaces and it’s pretty tightly regulated, and before you even think of asking, trying to ‘forcefully empty someone else’s space’ wouldn’t end well for you, and wouldn’t help her. So let me ask you, were you serious in trading places with her? Giving up safety to end up in some potential hellhole that not even I could tell you, a trillion light years away from safety and the rest of your species?-

“...What kind of person would I be if I made my kid sister go through that if I could shield her from it?” he responded firmly.

-...A lesser one in my eyes. Ok, I’ll move a few things, shouldn’t get stopped since the numbers will still line up. Can’t keep you all together I'm afraid, that’d take more power than I've got, and the people with enough power... wouldn’t.-

Marcus felt a faint buzz as he looked up seeing the green light above him shake before shifting to blue.

“Thank you.”

-Don’t mention it. For what it’s worth I'm rooting for you to survive and do well. In fact, you ever get strong enough to visit our empire, I’ll buy you a drink-

“I’ll hold you to that...got a name?”

-Not one that can be comprehended at your level. Now go see your family, you don't have long with them left.-

Feeling that the strange conversation had come to a close, Marcus hurried back inside to see his family for what could be the last time.

~

“Marcus, it’s ok! The light- what did you do!?” his mother cried when he opened the door.

“The right thing I hope.” He said with a sigh and a smile. “Hope you don't mind but I'm going to give this hangover some hair of the dog.”

Turning he smiled at family, noting in satisfaction the green above his little sister, before walking heavily down to the den, cracking the first bottle he grabbed and taking a deep drink.

“You know you’re just chugging seltzer water right now, don't you?” Samantha said quietly from behind him.

He lowered the bottle with a grimace. “I did wonder why it wasn’t burning right, but I was looking to drink not check the label. Want anything?” he asked dropping the bottle to the floor, swapping it for a beer.

“You didn’t have to do it you know. I'm plenty old enough to make it on my own if I had to.” she said, hugging herself.

Marcus burst out laughing. “Smalls, you’re still a kid whether you like it or not, no matter what these alien things claim. Hell, it seems like only yesterday I had to help mom and dad change your diapers.”

“You’ll never let me live that down will you?” she said with a faint chuckle, but turned solemn again quickly. “It’s not fair.”

“Well, you’re still a kid, but I’ll teach you one of the big lessons. Life, in all its shiny glory, is almost never fair.”

As he fell back on to the couch, she came and sat down beside him, hanging off his shoulder like she’d done ever since she was young. With a 19 year age gap between them, they hadn’t had the most normal sibling relationship, ending up almost her uncle rather than brother. And with each of taking after a different parent, they didn’t even look similar, which had caused a few incidents’ when he’d gone to pick her up from school. But despite this they’d always been close and it was hurting both of them that they were going to split up.

“Now, if this was a dramatic movie,” he said as he drained his beer. “This would be where I tell you it’s up to you to look after the family. But we both know that you and dad are firmly under mom’s thumb, aaand you’ll probably stay there for the rest of your life.”

Samantha smiled sadly. “Not you anymore though, I guess you get to go free.”

“Freedom!” he cried in a terrible Scottish accent, trying to get her to cheer up. “Well, if Braveheart doesn’t work, I guess it’s time to get serious. We’re going to end up apart. This is, apparently, unavoidable, but as the only adult between us, I’ll take one for the team. But it doesn’t necessarily mean its good bye forever. The powers that apparently be indicated that it’s possible to get about if your strong enough, even go see them in person. So if we stay safe, keep an eye out and work hard...”

“You can come back?” she asked hopefully.

“Or you can come to me. They said it’d probably be harder, but maybe I'm sure I can make it awesome.”

“No, you’ll make it lame. I’ll make our place awesome so you can find us.”

“Heh, that works to I guess. Ok then smalls, grab me another beer for the road and lets go back up some mom can cry herself dry.”

“I heard that!” Mary called from upstairs, her voice sounding damp. “But I want both my babies up here right now. I'm going to hug both of you until the end, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

“I don't get a hug?” their dad said, feigning hurt.

“I only have two arms Thomas, you hug them as well.”

And that was how the Gillian family ended their time on Earth, hugging each other, talking and laughing, holding back their fears by focusing on their family. And so two hours later, when the sun faded, the ground beneath them fell away and the very universe seemed to tear them apart at the deepest level, they remained together, and smiling.

As it all went black.