Being a salvage technician was never a bad job. I’m basically a modern day tow truck driver and that’s why I got into this job. My father and his father were both tow drivers, but since no one’s used cars in the last 30 years I couldn’t carry on the family company. No money in nostalgia.

Instead, I chose to work as a technician who salvages earth space craft. A good job, and it has taught me a lot. I know the components of any earth craft inside and out. Anything from the Ford X-Craft to the Tesla Cyber Planes. I could pick a machine apart and put it back together with nothing more than the tools I keep on my truck. But nothing could prepare me for the job I recieved on that winter day.

I received the phone call for a salvage at around 0415 on January 13th, 2112. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, especially since it’s not uncommon that people crash their crafts flying home while intoxicated at that time almost daily. However, the number who called me wasn’t in my contacts, and that was unusual. The number was restricted which either means it’s coming from someone who can afford bio-blocking software or it was from the government. This means big money, I rushed to answer the pad.

The voice on the other end of the line was encrypted and they addressed my by my full name. Stating “There has been a crash, this status has only been sent to the highest level technicians within 100km of the recorded incident site, are you available for salvage?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess?”

“Is this a private salvage or is the wreck going to the common recycler plant?”

The almost robotic voice replied “this is a matter of National security, higher interests want to be certain that all salvage is returned to Nellis Airforce base without any further damage.”

“Copy that, send me the coordinates and I’ll be there in less than 2 hours”

“You have, 84 minutes to arrive on scene”

And then the connection was terminated without anything further. My palm pad buzzed with a message from yet another restricted number. Before I could open the message, I recieved an error stating that I would need to sign a NDA before accessing it. I clicked acknowledge and placed my finger on my pad. The burning sensation of a DNA signature radiated down my finger. I always hated litterally signing in blood.

The message contained the coordinates and a crypto currency package of $75,000.

“Jesus Christ, that’s a lot of money up front” usually they send you a small bonus after the job is done. What was I about to salvage? Was it some new craft that was being kept secret by the government? Was it a foreign vessel containing revolutionary weapons? Who knows, I’m just excited that this is some drunk asshole who crashed his BMW.

I arrived on scene approximately 78 minutes later, cutting it real close to that 84 minute timeline Mr Robot man gave me. Good thing I didn’t stop to make myself some breakfast.

Winding through the alpine trees, I noticed a shape that I had never seen before, an almost frisbee shaped silver aircraft with no windows and no obvious exhaust or engine ports. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.

Approaching the craft, I noticed there are already several other technicians on scene actively cooling the frisbee and starting to prep it to go on a transport pad.

I stop next to a grizzly bear of a man, he is approaching his 50’s with more gray on his face than black. He looks weathered and has many noticeable scars on his hands from years of salvaging vehicles and crafts. I wonder if he used to tow before all of this.

The man looks to me and says “In all my years, I never imagined I would be towing something that wasn’t built on this planet”

Just then i realize, this isn’t a craft made by the government or some foreign corporation, this is a flying saucer! An intact Roswell ship straight from those science fictions books my dad used to let me borrow.

“Holy shit man, you mean this is from another planet?”

“Have you ever seen a terrestrial craft built to these specifications? No engine, no way to change direction?” He said.

“I guess I haven’t, I thought maybe this was some top secret military project we were grabbing.”

He looked me in the eyes for the first time and said “You got that right, this is going to be the most top secret project the world will never see.”