I pulled my face down, trying to fight back the tiredness that kept beckoning me to fall asleep at my desk. Something about the harsh office lighting and subtle grey noise the office played in the vents was oddly calming. Usually opposite for the type of work demanded from us by our superiors.

The numbers seemed to jumble themselves on my computer monitor. Sleep deprivation was always taking its toll, but I could feel it most after lunch.

“Hey Don. How’s the slide deck coming along?” A muffled voice spoke. I looked behind me to see my boss standing at the entrance to my cubicle. Pulling off my headphones, I put on a smile.

“Not too bad, should be done within the hour. As long as I can get these numbers aligned.” I remarked, turning back and clicking at the excelcspreadsheet I had pulled up. Classic office tactic to look like I was doing work previously.

“Well, see if you can send it my way when you’re finished. I can make sure it looks proper before sending it up the pipe to our VP.” Anthony chortled. He swiped from my bowl of mints before leaving the entryway to my cubicle as quickly as he arrived.

I rolled my eyes and put my headphones back in, switching tracks to a more energetic piece of music. The deadline felt like it just moved up from end of day to one hour away, especially with my boss wanting to do his revisions.

‘Ding. Ding.’

My phone never plays out loud unless it’s a pushed government alert. Frustrated that my music had paused I looked down to clear the alert quickly. Half swiping the alert from my phone’s Lock Screen, the words became clear as it recognized my face and displayed its preview.

‘Attention: this is not a test. Asteroid impact with global catastrophe imminent. Please remain calm. Government authorities are pursuing corrective course measures to avoid catastrophe. Standby for further updates. Shelter in place and remain calm.’

“I thought that was next week?!” I said aloud, now hearing the dings of my colleagues smart phones all around me. “Ah jeez.”

Panic ensued.