Excerpt: FUSiON | FaLL

PREFACE

The Jupiter Eight Incident, colloquially known as “Labores Solis”, was unlike any other eclipse phenomenon on the planet. Solar and lunar eclipses happened frequently, but the sheer magnitude of people that viewed the Jupiter Eight Incident was considered by science to be impossible. The event itself occurred on June twenty-fifth, two thousand and eleven at exactly 7:42 PM Central Daylight Time. A total solar eclipse lasted for five minutes and seventeen seconds, and approximately ninety nine percent of the sunward facing side of the globe witnessed it at the exact same time. To this day, no one knows why this solar eclipse occurred, what caused it, or even how it was connected to the events that followed.

**The following events are a factual record and transcription in accordance to the New Digitized Information Act of 2025. Some information has been dramatized to better incorporate the overall story.

SECTION 1.2 – Transcription Errors

Professor Harry Reynolds was waiting inside the main entrance to Siceluff Hall when Lily came running up the stairwell.
“Ah, Miss Jameson. Good to see that you got here alright.” He said, reaching out to shake her hand.
“There wasn’t much traffic along the way Dr. Reynolds, so it was basically green lights the whole way. Is everyone else here for the conference?” she said.
Professor Reynolds nodded, motioning for her to follow him. The pair of them walked down the entrance hallway towards the lower level science labs, where the new Astrophysics wing was located.
“So have the instruments detected anything about the strange eclipse phenomena?” she asked.
“Nothing really concrete thus far, the big worry is that the instruments did record a slight shifting in Earth’s magnetic field upon the total eclipse itself,” he said. “That’s not really the strangest part of it though.”
This whole thing is strange, thought Lily, but she kept that comment to herself.
“I phoned my colleagues at Harvard and Cornell and they all stated the exact same event was occurring where they were at. Total solar eclipse right at dusk.” His voice seemed troubled.
“But how’s that even possible, let alone the eclipse itself? The object couldn’t have been so big as to completely block out the sun almost a thousand miles away, especially if it only lasted five minutes.” She said.
“That is exactly the problem, Miss Jameson. There’s no scientific explanation for any of events that have taken place within the last thirty minutes. They all seem like they might be connected, but no one has been able to actually draw the lines to the dots, to put it metaphorically.” He said.
The two of them had reached the door to the Astrophysics lab. Reynolds held the door open and allowed Lily in first, before continuing down the corridor.
“All of this unexplained shit is making my brain hurt.” She said.
Reynolds looked slightly shocked at her exclamation; this was obviously not a usual reaction from Lily.
“Sorry Dr. Reynolds, I’m just incredibly frustrated with this whole situation and I really don’t want to have to deal with a possible apocalypse.” She tried making the last part sound as though she were trying to be funny, but it just came out sounding eerie. Reynolds considered her words for a second and then turned to face her.
“Unfortunately, Professor Jameson, we have to consider the very real possibility that this very well may be a world-ending catastrophe that we’re facing.” His face was hard looking, harsh wrinkles spreading across his forehead as he spoke. Lily understood exactly how serious he was being with this. She began picking at the bottom hem of her blouse. Reynolds took no notice and turned to open the door to the conference room within the Astrophysics lab.
The two of them stepped inside together and were met with an overall sense of apprehension from their fellow professors. The air in the room seemed to feel heavy to Lily, as if the atmosphere were squeezing down on all of them, trying to force the oxygen from their lungs somehow. Lily could tell that they were all waiting for Reynolds to explain that this was all just a big practical joke.