Aliens Venmoed Me a Trillion Dollars: the Short Story

ALIENS VENMOED ME A TRILLION DOLLARS”The truth is out there… and paying very well.”Doug Dawkins lives to debunk conspiracy theories, especially crackpot claims of aliens. So when his dead dad FaceTimes him (giving him crazy money and orders to cover up the truth of extraterrestrial existence), Doug is sure this is a hacker’s scam and reports it to the NSA. Then government security servers melt down. NSA agents become convinced Doug and his wife are dangerous spies. But Doug is sure he’d never kill anyone or believe aliens exist. Could he be half right?One problem is that an astronomer just discovered the background static of the universe is actually unfathomably complex, interstellar communications, definitive proof of alien life, and that professor is… Doug’s wife, Lena Fierro.Why would he want to turn down a trillion-dollar cosmic bribe, yet still conceal the truth from the world?Book Comparisons: THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM meets THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY.Movie Comparisons: DON’T LOOK UP meets CONTACT and GALAXY QUEST.”Spacetime is money.”—————————————From Daniel Lawrence Abrams, author of the multi-award-winning IMMORTALITY BYTES: DIGITAL MINDS DON’T GET HUNGRY —• Winner “Best Science Fiction” & “Best Political Fiction” — American Writing Awards (2024)• Winner “Best Humor/Satire” — Storytrade Awards (2024)• Winner “Best Sci-Fi Humor” — Annual Indies Today Awards (2024)• Winner “Best Sci-Fi: Cyberpunk” — 7th Annual American Fiction Awards (2024)• Kirkus Reviews — “a supercharged, high-stakes, cyberpunk thriller… Our Verdict: ✓GET IT”• Publishers Weekly’s BookLife Reviews — “✓EDITOR’S PICK”