Chapter One: Dispute

Earth 2140

It had been eight years since the enigmatic accident at the lab and since Jacob's father had died.
No, Jacob thought with thick bitterness. Died is too cordial a word for it.
Jacob was dressed in a lab coat, his hands shoved deeply into his pockets. He was getting quite chagrined of digesting Dr. Leigh's drone about lab safety. While Dr. Leigh was an alluring woman, she contained no knowledge of how to teach without putting the class into an abysmal sleep.
"Mr. Brennon, would you care to inform me of the first precaution in lab safety?"
Jacob contravened the urge to roll his eyes.
"Always know where each safety consultant is." he answered in a monotone voice to prevent his sarcasm from seeping through the syllables.
Dr. Leigh commended him for the correct response before continuing her lecture.
Shouldn't twenty-one year olds already know the correct safety rules? Jacob thought glancing around the lab at his fellow classmates, none of which seemed dim witted until he noticed a boy with his finger shoved up his nose.
Guess not.
There were seven girls, all of which were quite attractive and there were seventeen boys, each one standing as near a girl as possible. Jacob felt the urge to laugh at the absurdity of one of the girls falling for these lab rats. They were here on strictly business just like everyone else SHOULD have been.
Jacob tuned in when he suddenly heard his father's name.
"Dr. Adam Brennon was one of the greatest scientists of all time and look what happened to him, class. Obviously, he was being careless thus leading to a lab explosion." Dr. Leigh said as if this were a pure factual observation.
Jacob felt the scorching anger boil in the pit of his stomach. The class began murmuring to each other about the incident, some casting glances in Jacob's direction.
"That's a lie!" he shouted.
The class became halcyon. All eyes were now on Jacob.
"Is it, Mr. Brennon?" Dr. Leigh asked, amused.
Jacob wished he had not spoken. Everyone already thought his family was flaky; there was no need to shame them more.
"Yes." he said, this time with less confidence.
"Tell us your theory then. After all, you were his son."
Dr. Leigh only desired to disconcert him. She was one of the scientists who reported on the news the "official" story. She called his father careless and frighteningly mad for his theory of aliens.
"It's not a theory, Dr. Leigh. You and I both know that." Jacob answered, nonchalantly.
"Do we now? I do not recall trusting in any of your father's rubbish."
"You are in denial, just like the rest of the world! Do you honestly lack that many brain cells to think that the most renowned scientist the world has ever seen would really be that heedless?" He was no longer speaking to just Dr. Leigh. "Use your brains people."
"So, based on no factual evidence, you wish the entire world to believe in something that no one has ever seen?" Dr. Leigh argued.
"People HAVE seen them! They just refuse to believe! The evidence is all there, Doctor. It's just that the entire world refuses to believe it!"
"You think you are so wise, don't you Mr. Brennon?"
"Maybe, but I know my father wasn't a crackpot!"
Dr. Leigh chuckled which only fueled the fire within Jacob.
"Oh, Jacob. You are far too intelligent to believe that garbage. I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to leave, now."
Jacob ripped off his lab coat and slung it on the ground as he stormed out, without glancing behind him.