Wake up.

The dream ends abruptly, and you wake to find yourself in Dr Shin's lab, sitting in your chair at your own desk. Everything is exactly as you left it. But did you ever leave? The scent of smoke on your person answers with a resounding yes, as if your ash-covered clothes weren't enough to say so.

But you're not the only one dirtied by some hazy events just out of the reach of memory. Mandy rests peacefully on the lab couch, her face and beautiful blonde hair marred by layers of black soot. Otherwise, she does not look hurt. With a contended sigh, she turns toward you and then falls back asleep. And that's when you see the gun. Mandy has slept on top of it somehow: a pistol unlike any you have ever seen wedged between the cushions. Reaching over your sleeping friend, you take the weapon in hand and peer upon it closely. It lacks any sort of obvious barrel or exit for a bullet, only a bulbous casing with a large round lense at the end of it. As you might expect, it does sport a handle and trigger-- even a trigger guard-- but the whole setup is a little awkward in your palm: not at all ergonomic. In fact, one would have to go out of his way to fashion a grip as inconvenient as this. It's as if wasn't even made for human use.

"Use it carefully." Vague images and voices start to fill your mind, and it becomes clear that you've heard all this once before not long ago.

"We thank you, Samaritans."

"Three were saved by your actions."

"You are released from this conflict."

The expressions of gratitude just start to evoke the memories of four alien creatures in...where? You're covered in soot. A fire. A terrible fire.

"Your planet is in danger."

"The enemy is here."

"Be vigilant."

"Use it carefully."

The voices provide clues as to what's happened since the fire, but as of right now nothing else is coming back. It is ironic that you should have such a tangible piece of memory there in the palm of your hand, and still not remember. But what is it? It looks more like a bizarre handicam than anything else...